


Prove Me Wrong

by ZeroTheAngel



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: (eventually) - Freeform, Alcohol, Alternate Universe, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Casual Sex, Developing Relationship, Explicit Sexual Content, Friends With Benefits, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, M/M, Oral Sex, Porn With Plot, Referenced Car Accident, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:20:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 56,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23890738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZeroTheAngel/pseuds/ZeroTheAngel
Summary: Putting yourself through law school is difficult, flirting with the receptionist at your dream firm is just a horrible idea. When they take you up on the offer, that's when things get complicated.Axel was desperate, Roxas decided rules be damned.
Relationships: Axel/Roxas (Kingdom Hearts), Demyx/Zexion (Kingdom Hearts), Riku/Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 67
Kudos: 54





	1. First Impressions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After reading a bunch of fics centering around Axel and Roxas (and reliving my KH obsession from when I was like 14) I was inspired to write something! For clarity on ages, because I feel like that is important, Axel is 22, bordering on 23, while Roxas is 20, bordering on 21. I had to do a LOT of reading about law schools and dredge up the likely incorrect memories of watching legal dramas to try and piece together some aspects, so that was a delight.
> 
> Anyway, the story is gonna get explicit, as the tags have probably alluded to, and its possibly gonna deal with some heavy stuff, all of which I'll add tags for if and when required.
> 
> This is my first KH fic since 2012 back when I was a teenager, so lets hope I've improved, and please enjoy!

The dull thud of his middle finger and pointer finger was the only sound he could perceive. Other than that, the waiting room was deathly quiet, not even the buzz of a vending machine, or the tick of a clock. He’d be lying to say that was the only thing _he_ could hear, though. His mind was racing, spewing up as many different scenarios as possible, moving a mile a minute. He’d had interviews before, they were easy. They didn’t always lead anywhere, but he always got the sense that he had won over whoever he had been talking to.

Fiery red hair and tattoos carved carefully into the skin beneath his eyes weren’t exactly things that screamed ‘ _hire me_ ’ to potential employers, but he managed to get into university with them, so he argued to himself that yes, he could absolutely get hired anywhere. The drumming intensified as he got lost in thought. Demyx always joked that he should just look for a job in fashion, no one would turn down someone with such a unique look. It was clear that Demyx had meant it as a compliment, he doubted Demyx would even realize how it could’ve been taken as an insult. He really was a sweet summer child, a wildly annoying one at that.

Interviews were easy, he could supress the urge to say dumb shit for a few minutes and bring out ‘ _customer service Axel_ ’. Working at a bar, he didn’t usually have to shift into that persona, instead just threaten to cut them off, or cut them up if they were being particularly belligerent. Being as tall as the day is long, and having the balls to try and make face tattoos work, people often took the hint that the threat of cutting them up wasn’t just a threat, it was a very real promise.

Clad in a white button-down shirt, a red tie clashing with the painfully adult look, Axel fit the part of interviewee with an attitude. His long, hard to tame hair had been wrangled into a ponytail, taking some serious convincing from Demyx at nine in the morning. The fact he managed to rouse his roommate from sleep that early was its own separate miracle. Thankfully, from the waist down he’d managed to avoid adding extra flair, a pair of black slacks and a normal belt matching with his uncomfortable as all hell, shiny black shoes.

Taking a cursory glance around the room, he realized just how depressing it was. Well, not depressing, just… Plain. Someone would surely call it modern chic and look down at him for not recognising the intricate beauty of blank white and featureless walls. They’d have to look down at him _figuratively_ though, unless there was a seven-foot interior decorator hunting down people who didn’t appreciate modern aesthetics. See, this is what he needed to supress when he was being interviewed.

From his seat, he could see the door on his right, if he was tempted to bolt. Opposite the corner he was sat in, a receptionist’s desk, curved from the door all the way around to the hallway off to his left, which he assumed led deeper into the building, where all the decisions were made, and no doubt where his interview would be. The screen that the receptionist was focused on blocked his view of anything behind the desk, person included. He’d gotten a quick glance, but the mysterious gatekeeper had been looking away enough that he could hardly see them, plus he was so lost in thought when he arrived that he hadn’t paid them any mind.

The lights above weren’t quite clinical, but it gave off the same feel. Maybe it was his nerves that made him feel like that, but he could hardly tell right now, he didn’t have much chance for introspection when his mind was launching out such curveballs as ‘ _what if you trip walking into the interview room and headbutt a guy in the dick?_ ’ or ‘ _what if you don’t actually have any pants on and_ your _dick is the problem here?_ ’. Oddly, his panicked state became very quickly dick focused, as if to amuse him into calming down. It really wasn’t working that well.

He didn’t know the person that would be interviewing him, but he knew the boss, Squall Leonhart. Well, didn’t know him, just knew him through reputation alone. Angry, aggressive, liked to shout. Also, if you called him Squall and not Leon, you’d probably get shot. Or stabbed. Or maybe both at the same time. Everything an aspiring law student wanted. As Axel very much liked his blood inside his body, he had committed that fact to memory, carefully.

The Twilight Town branch of Leon’s prestigious law firm was an up and coming addition to the confusingly named city, though technically, the fact that Twilight Town was a city could also be called up and coming. Over the last thirty years, the town had experienced an economic boom, and the place had grown outwards and upwards, skyrises matching the iconic heights of the clocktower that stood at the centre of town. The tram system had been expanded exponentially, though most people would prefer walking or driving. God, he was getting so nervous his mind was latching onto infrastructure, of all fucking things.

Now, did he actually _want_ to be a lawyer? Well, in a lot of cases, yes, he absolutely did want to be a lawyer. Arguing for a living? Helping people less fortunate than himself? Getting to strut around a courtroom like a bad bitch? Yes, to all the above. But was it his passion? Well, not really. But passion wouldn’t pay bills and lay down a future for himself. He could see himself living the life of a lawyer, but he could also see himself living the life of someone who’d have to rely on a lawyer to get them out of trouble. His imagination wasn’t the problem here, it was figuring out if he’d be happy ten years down the line that made him take pause.

His fingers drummed hard against the low table beside him. Axel was a month into his second year at university. As a rapidly changing city, Twilight Town didn’t have its own law school, but the university still offered the same level of teaching as places like Hollow Bastion. The campus was spread across town, each part of the campus unifying to make Twilight Town University a symbolic mix of old and new. The main campus itself was where he spent most of his time, a majority of his classes taking place there. He knew for a fact that there was a campus dedicated entirely to culinary degrees, and a centre for history near the clocktower.

“For the love of…” The voice muttered out, behind the receptionists’ desk. “Can I help you with anything?” The snap in the voice was more than enough to drag Axel out of his thoughts. He quickly stood from the uncomfortable chair beneath him, moving over to the desk.

“Uh, yeah, I have an interview today.” Axel spoke as clearly as he could to dissuade his nerves.

Sapphire blue met jade green.

He’d have almost called it romantic, if the receptionist wasn’t glaring daggers at him.

“Name?” The man behind the desk was blonde, his hair alarmingly gravity defiant, it almost made Axel regret putting his in a ponytail.

“Axel Lea.” He supplied, studying the receptionist some more. His face looked soft, pale skin offset by the black dress shirt he wore, the scowl making him seem more angular, sharper. The angular aesthetic was complimented by a pair of sleek black glasses, something that seemed to both suit him and not suit him at the same time, it was strange. Said scowl softened a touch as he clicked away at the keyboard. It was impossible to deny that he was attractive, maybe a year or so younger than Axel, some of his spiky blonde hair falling to frame his face like some kind of oil painting.

He almost didn’t catch the frown audible in his voice. “You’re late. Interview’s over.”

Axel swallowed down the lump in his throat. There it is. He never felt nervous for no reason, he was the king of cool. Okay, lame title, but still. Whenever he got nervous, there was always a reason.

“That can’t be right, I was told eleven, it’s,” Axel paused his words, making a show of fishing his phone out of his pocket. “Not even eleven yet. I still have three minutes.” He showed the screen, as if that would magically fix the issue. He’d been offered the interview last week, and he was sure the interviewer had said eleven. He’d bet his life on it.

The blonde sighed. “Well, I have you written down here for five minutes to ten. I’m sorry.” His tone didn’t convey any actual condolences, he didn’t even seem to care that much. He couldn’t blame the guy; he was a stranger making his life more difficult. Hard to garner sympathy.

“Listen, uh,” He leaned over the counter, peering down at the badge hanging from his neck. “Roxas. Is there any way I could get another interview, anything?” Axel tried not to sound desperate, but it was getting hard to smother those feelings. Every other law firm in Twilight Town were small fry compared to a firm ran by Squall Leonhart, with connections to Hollow Bastion and the wider world. Securing an internship was key to continuing his time at law school and coming out at the end with something more than just a scrap of paper. He _needed_ this.

“They’re all done for the day; I can’t do anything for you.” Roxas looked back at his screen, eyes scanning through whatever it was a receptionist had to look at all day.

“Come on, please? I’ll uh, I’ll buy you dinner?” Axel offered. It wasn’t really meant to be taken seriously, but it was well worth the shot. The guy was attractive as hell. Short, snappy, smouldering scowl? Yes please.

“That’s hardly appropriate. You can’t just flirt your way into an office.” If he was flustered, he didn’t sound it. His cheeks had taken on a subtle pink hue, but Axel was sure that was indignation over fluttery feelings of embarrassment.

“Worth a try.” He sighed, straightening up. He looked down, catching Roxas’ eyes, following him. “Uh, thanks anyway.” He gave a half-hearted wave, turning on his heel. He had backup interviews, but he really hoped he wouldn’t have to attend them. His legs willed him forward, far less emotionally beaten than his heart was.

“Wait.” He faltered, hand resting against the door’s handle. “Tomorrow, half ten. Do _not_ be late.” Axel turned, staring at the blonde for a moment before rushing back over to the desk. He practically skidded to a stop, as if he were plucked out of an old cartoon and let loose.

“You’re serious?” He really wouldn’t put it past the blonde to get a laugh out of his own misery. That scowl really didn’t hide the disdain.

“Aerith might kill me for this, but I’ve added you onto the end of the list. You’re the last interview, so really, do not fuck this up.” It was strange, hearing a receptionist use such vulgar language on the clock, a stark difference to his earlier professionalism. Axel was too overjoyed to even care.

“Thank you.” The heartfelt words were followed by a sigh of relief. “I mean it, really, thank you.” The tension melted from his shoulders as he straightened up, turning to start approaching the door again.

“I’d prefer Italian, just so you know.” Axel took his second doubletake of the day, turning back to face him.

“What?” As ineloquent as he could be, he stared at Roxas in confusion.

“You offered me dinner. You can pick me up from here tomorrow, half four and no later. You’re paying, and I’m getting the most expensive bottle of wine on the menu. Deal?” Despite asking, Roxas didn’t seem to leave much room for negotiation.

Axel suddenly felt like he’d just made a deal with the devil. A very handsome, very domineering devil, who’d just literally saved his ass. There could be far worse people to be in debt to. He hoped.

“You’ve got a deal blondie.” Axel beamed.

“Roxas is fine.” He said, returning his eyes to the computer screen.

“Roxy?” He asked.

“Now it’s Mr Strife. See you tomorrow.” The cold monotone hardly dissuaded Axel, if anything it lit a fire in his gut.

“Yes sir.” Sporting his most charming grin, he gave a mock salute, turning on his heel for the third time, heading out the front door, managing to miss the small tug of a smile peeking through the scowl.

Twilight Town really was beautiful in the morning, and that wasn’t his incredible sense of luck and a date talking. Despite being named for the sliver of time between sunset and darkness, the city itself was incredible at all times. Summer was only just fading away, classes started in September and despite barrelling towards November by now, the days still stretched on. Twilight Town was one of those places where summer took ages to actually release its hold, and even though the days were growing shorter and it was getting cooler, they still had days where ice cream and shorts were the best bet for surviving.

Today wasn’t quite that hot, Axel thanked whatever god or gods decided to at least cut him some slack. Wrangling a second interview and a cute guy to boot was all him though, no need to thank the cloud people for his unending charm. From the law firm, it was a short trip back to his apartment, thankfully it was a Friday and all his classes had been cruelly stacked at the start of the week. It made figuring out rotas at the bar that much easier, but still wasn’t a delight to wake up to on Monday morning.

He found himself whistling as he walked, catching some odd looks from passers-by, he couldn’t really blame them. He was on cloud nine right now, and he sincerely doubted much could sour his mood. Other than the thought that even though he got a second chance at an interview, he could absolutely fuck this up. He plucked a name from memory, the one Roxas had mentioned. Aerith. He was pretty sure she had been the one to offer him the interview, so either he really did fuck up in remembering the time, or he’d have to resist the urge to be passive aggressive to his interviewer.

He subtly entertained the idea that he was so ecstatic over securing himself a date, but he quickly struck that off. He was a law student, sure, he didn’t date nearly as much as he should, or could for that matter, but he really didn’t mind. Well, when he said dating, he meant getting dressed up nicely, meeting someone new and talking over a tasty dinner, or even a quick takeaway. Now, if getting blind drunk and stumbling home with some guy for hours of vaguely unsatisfying sex was considered dating, then he’d been dating. A guy had to eat, after all.

Maybe a proper date would do him the world of good.

Failing that, he’d at least hopefully get a shot at having a cute blonde in his bed for a night.

Axel jogged his way down a short flight of stairs flanked by grassy slopes. Walking through a small car park. Across from the car park, a plain enough apartment block, certainly nicer than some, but not as nice as it could’ve been. A comfortable middle ground, plus it was affordable to two students, he’d happily live in a hovel if he could survive. Maybe not happily, actually, Axel liked to live comfortably. Finding his keys, he jogged his way up the stairwell. Eight floors of jogging used to kill him a few months ago when he and Demyx moved out of dorms, but considering the elevator was out of action nine times out of ten, it just became routine. With a job where the most exercise you’d get would be waddling around a courtroom, keeping fit elsewhere was going to be essential.

Unlocking the front door, he dumped his keys in the bowl next to their coat rack, taking a cursory glance around the apartment. Fairly clean, no music sheets cluttering the coffee table, and no humming. Demyx had _actually_ managed to attend an early class. He was half tempted to fall to his knees in reverent prayer. Gliding through the apartment lazily, he flicked the TV on, grumbling as he wrestled with the tie around his neck.

He often got questioned by friends, how did they get on so well? A law student and a guy studying a mix of music tech and song writing, they seemed like polar opposites. They weren’t exactly wrong, he and Demyx didn’t really have much in common, other than a love of music and performing, and despite that being one of Demyx’s main loves, it didn’t really bind them together. Demyx was laid back and easy to live with, Axel liked to think that he was pretty laid back too, and that just worked for them. They both worked, they both had classes, so realistically they didn’t see much of each other. After making friends with him when they both got to university, they just stuck together.

After hastily shedding himself of his grotesquely professional outfit, Axel dropped himself onto the couch, laptop and hefty textbook following down with him. He could get some essay work done before work, and then be up early for his interview the next day. Then, the date. He was quietly disappointed that Demyx had a class today, he’d have actually appreciated chatting with the musician about his impending date. He wasn’t nervous, per se. He’d dated plenty of attractive guys, that wasn’t really the issue, it was Roxas’ attitude that gave him pause. Did he even think it was a date? He sounded more interested in the free wine.

Axel groaned, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He was a stranger, why was he acting as if he should be head over heels in love, and so excited for their ‘date’. It was dinner, as a favour. He focused his eyes on the wall of text he’d left behind on his laptop from the night before. Nothing like the intricacies of the penal system to kill any sort of cognitive behaviour.

~

The sun had almost set by the time Roxas got home, pushing back against the door with his back, letting out a sigh of relief. “Sora?” Roxas announced out to the quiet of the apartment. He hefted his bag strap up on his shoulder properly, carrying it through to the kitchen. A few moments passed before the brunette came barrelling through, peeking his head past the wall that divided their kitchen and living room.

“Bad day at work?” Ah. The sour note was audible. Roxas shrugged, dropping his bag on the table with an unceremonious clatter.

“No more so than any other.” Roxas said, turning to face him.

“Huh, well that’s… I don’t know what to say to that.” Sora conceded, attempting a smile to cheer him up. It didn’t work.

“Don’t worry, it’s fine.” Roxas waved him away, turning to approach the fridge.

“At least you’ve got the movies with me and Riku tomorrow!” Sora chimed in, excitement oozing from his words. Roxas was relieved to be half submerged in the fridge, shielding Sora from his grimace. A movie with Sora? Often a pretty fun experience, Roxas would always choose tragedies and spend the hours trying not to laugh at Sora’s snotty, sobbing face. A movie with Sora _and_ Riku? Also known as ‘spending the night drowning in awkward sexual tension and unresolved emotional issues.’

“Oh yeah…” He murmured, fishing through the fridge for anything edible. You’d think, living with a chef in training would mean delicious food on demand. It did not.

He didn’t _hate_ Riku, that would be way too harsh. He just didn’t particularly like him very much. When Sora and his family moved to Twilight Town as a kid, he wasn’t the only one, Riku’s family and Kairi’s followed suit. In retrospect, it made for an incredibly exciting day of primary school, three new kids just about blew everyone’s minds. Sora and Roxas got on well from day one, but he always felt himself fighting for attention with Sora’s ever-present shadow, the great Silver Sulk. Oh, he had to remember that one.

“Riku offered to pick me up and then drop by the firm when you were finished. Half four, right?” Sora asked. He didn’t usually work Saturdays, but with those interviews burning up time, he was getting paid overtime. No complaints there, even if the work was soul crushingly dull.

Wait. Half four. Interviews.

“Uh, actually, you just reminded me.” Roxas emerged from the fridge, no further along in his hunt for food. “I have a date. I completely forgot about movie night.” Roxas even threw in an apologetic look, for good measure. He’d been trying to find an escape from those plans for the past week, and now some cocky redhead just delivered it into his lap.

“You have a date? With who?” Sora’s eagerness seemed to smother any disappointment he might have felt. He had been trying to set Roxas up for the past five years, after all.

“Oh uh, just some guy. He was supposed to have an interview and missed it. We got to talking.” It wasn’t a total lie. Truthfully, he was going to just give Axel the interview and let him leave, but there was something unique about the guy. He might be the first face tattooed lawyer in Twilight Town, Roxas would absolute be able to use that as bragging rights. Plus, he liked taller dudes. It’s not like he could be into shorter guys, unless the Seven Dwarves were looking for an orgy. Just thinking about his own short stature sent a flare of rage through him, and no one had even made the joke, aside from himself.

“Come onnnnnn! Give me something more than that, you’re ditching me after all…” Sora’s famed weaponized pout. Roxas sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“Alright, alright, fine. The guy’s name is Axel. He’s a tall redhead, is that enough?” Roxas asked, having no intention of giving his nosy roommate anything more than that.

“Axel… I recognize the name, actually.” Sora tapped his chin thoughtfully, digging through the labyrinth that was his mind. “Eh, can’t place it.” Sora said. Roxas was quietly relieved, the idea of Sora knowing his potential date/bed partner was mortifying.

“Well I’ll give you the rundown on Sunday.” He said it before thinking, the automatic assumption that he’d be staying out late enough that he’d be coming home on the Sunday. For all he knew, Axel might be awful at small talk, or a shit tipper, and he’d have to bail early, or push the date towards his place and at least get _something_ for his time.

“If you need a way out, just text me okay?” Sora said, clearly missing out on the subtly of his words. That was something he could always appreciate about Sora, even if he was a little bit full on, he’d always have his back.

“I’ll keep it in mind, thanks.” He said, chuckling a little as he nodded back to the fridge. “Could you make me anything? I need to get caught up on essays.” He clasped his hands together as if he were praying, hoping to prey on Sora’s unending kindness.

“I’ll try, we really need to go grocery shopping.” Sora snorted, no doubt already planning a trip to the store after his non-date with Riku. Sora grocery shopping was like unleashing a kid with a sugar addiction into a candy store unsupervised.

“I’d offer to go but my professor is poised to kill me and crucify me if I don’t get a good grade on this work.” Roxas didn’t even have to exaggerate, he could absolutely see it happening. Journalism professors were either eclectic and kooky, or cunts. So far, he had always been treated to the latter.

“Don’t worry, you can focus on having fun on your date.” Sora hummed happily; a grin plastered to his face as he started to mill around the kitchen.

Roxas flipped him off, turning on his heel as he stalked off to his room. Sora was the last person he was going to accept dating advice from, someone who was so obviously yet obliviously in love with _Riku_ of all people.

A date.

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so we begin! Updates for this may be slow while I round off another fic I've been working on, this one just inspired me so bad that I got distracted and had to write! Kudos and comments are all very welcome, please let me know how I'm doing on characterization and stuff like that, its what I tend to struggle with, and anyway its nice to interact with like-minded KH fans! Thanks for taking the time to read c:


	2. Confidence is Key

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I managed to get this done way sooner than expected, I've just been super inspired! Hope everyone enjoys!

Stepping in out of the sun, the clinical white was a rough transition. He squinted a little, glancing around. The receptionists desk was conspicuously empty, though through the door connecting the desk to, what he could only assume was a small office, he heard the frantic swishing of a copier machine, and the colourful language of a particular blonde through the door. It took a lot of willpower not to laugh, knowing his luck Roxas would hear it and come out to scowl at him.

“Axel Lea?” Appearing from the hallway he’d noticed the last time he’d been sat in the waiting room, a woman approached. She was wearing a faded pink dress, classy enough for a law firm, not bright enough to draw too much attention, with a short red bolero jacket covering her shoulders, a red sash looped around her waist and brown knee highs boots completed her outfit. Her light brown hair was drawn back into a lengthy braid, separated bangs framing her face. Aerith Gainsborough, he’d seen pictures of her when he was looking into Leonhart’s firm, she seemed to be an integral part of the operation.

“Uh, yes.” Axel said, straightening up. He offered out his hand, showing off a bright smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Confidence came easy as she took his hand, shaking it before pulling back, gesturing back towards the hallway.

“If you’d follow me, we’ll get your interview underway.” She turned and made her way through the hallway, opening up into a comfortable office space. The office had the same blank white walls, but the room felt much more energetic, more lived in, desks cluttered neatly with various case files and personal effects. He didn’t really recognize any of the people there, but he gave polite smiles either way if they caught his eye. To the left-hand side of the room, a door surrounded by glass windows, thin beige blinds giving the windowed conference room a semblance of privacy. Ahead at the end of the office, a personal office emblazoned with the name ‘Leon’ on the door.

Aerith moved to the conference room, opening the door for Axel to walk inside. He took his seat at the table in the middle of the room. Large enough for about eight people, he knew Leon was known for being notoriously picky, only hiring those he either knew well, or saw potential in. Axel was determined to make that list.

“Thanks.” Axel said sincerely as Aerith poured him a glass of water, before doing the same for herself. She took the seat opposite him, looking at the table. In front of her, his application for the firm, his university application, a handful of graded essays, and a recommendation from one of his professors. No one could say he was unprepared.

“I have to apologise for yesterday, Roxas filled me in on what happened. My assistant put you down for the wrong time, simple as that. She’s… Well, she’s just no good.” Aerith explained, chuckling to herself as she skimmed through the papers in front of her. Some of the resentment Axel had been holding onto melted away, and he nodded.

“It’s fine, bound to happen to someone.” He said. She seemed to take note of his response, studying him for a moment. Whatever conclusion she came to, he doubted he’d ever know.

“Anyway, let’s begin. How are your studies going? Your semester has only just started, correct?” She asked.

“That’s right, yeah. They’re going well. I’m twenty-third in my class, out of one hundred and fifteen.” He told her, silently proud of the fact. That was his placement at the end of first year anyway, a solid ranking, which would only go higher if he kept up with his work, or plummet if he started to struggle. Class ratings determined many things, it wasn’t as important in second year when you would seek out internships off your own back, but when third year rolled around and they were assigned cases as lawyers in training, that rating would determine what cases he’d receive, and how likely he’d be looked at for First Chair in his own cases.

“Twenty-third? Not bad. Though it could be better. Based on your essays here, I could see you easily breaking between eighteen and twelve. Based on the information we have on you, you rent an apartment with a roommate, near campus, so I assume you work. Does your job impact how much you care about your grades?” Aerith’s tone started in an almost congratulatory manner, before quickly shifting tact, rattling off point after point which almost unnerved Axel. If this was what she was like in a courtroom, no wonder she had been a lawyer so long.

“I, uh…” He started before a smile split across her face, a quiet giggle escaping. She covered her mouth, shaking her head.

“Relax, I just like making the new blood sweat a little.” She explained, a devious look in her eyes. Axel let out the breath he’d held when she interrupted, managing a chuckle. “Your ranking is fine, nothing to worry about. And that information? Simple background check, we do it for everyone.” She assured.

“I can see why you’re one of Leon’s best.” Axel commented, showing he at least knew his stuff about the office.

She tutted, fixing her gaze onto him rather than the notes. “Ah, you know to call him Leon. You’ve done your homework.” There was almost amusement in her voice as she sat up, prim and proper as she clasped her hands together, resting them in her lap. “So, tell me, you’ve looked into us enough, why do you want to work for Leonhart’s? Twilight Town has lots of excellent law firms, and I assume your professor has drilled it into you how important local firms are, yes?” She asked.

Axel grasped for answers, thinking on it for a moment. He didn’t want to just blurt out whatever was on his mind. This was a test; he could feel it. “All my professors have, and I have backup interviews lined up for local firms, but…” He paused, thinking on his response before nodding. “I want to do more. I don’t want to be shackled to Twilight Town.” He explained.

“You think these local firms don’t do enough? No hometown loyalty, huh?” Aerith asked, smiling a little. She knew that wasn’t what he meant, another test.

“I think they do as much as they can in a contained legal ecosystem” He said, hoping to impress with the little flourish of technical jargon. It seemed to work, only a little. “Plus, I’m not really local. I was born elsewhere.” He defended, a small smile growing as Aerith seemed to accept his answer.

“I thought as much, your accent definitely isn’t local. Hollow Bastion?” She asked.

“Radiant Gardens.” He corrected but nodded. Both cities were so close together that they shared a borough and were only separated by a highway. Calling them separate cities was pretty misleading, it was closer to two sides of a city, rather than two separate entities.

“Ooh, very nice. Rich family?” She asked, and he scoffed.

“Not quite. We moved when I was a kid, and we definitely weren’t rich.” She nodded, not seeming interested in prodding any further.

“I’ve asked you a few things, lets break this up. Ask me something.” She offered, gesturing around to the room, as if she were gesturing the firm as a whole.

“What’s it like working with Leon?” He asked, after taking a moment to think on something. He doubted she’d spill his darkest secrets, but he was still curious as to what she’d say.

“As I’m sure you know, he’s a very intense person. But he’s a good person too. Kindness doesn’t tend to get you anywhere in a courtroom, unless its to your defendant. So, Leon keeps up pretences, he’s a very private person. And if you tell him I said any of that, I’ll have to beat you with that chair.” She said, gesturing to her right. Axel couldn’t help but chuckle, nodding. “Sometimes, being private is important, especially as a lawyer.” She said.

“You have my word, I’ll keep quiet.” He said, taking her advice, and information on Leon, to heart. It was clear to him that Aerith wasn’t just an employee, she was his friend. He kept that in mind too, if he could piss off Leon with the wrong name, he was sure he’d be pissed off if he offended someone like Aerith.

They went over some more of Axel’s time at university, and his job. He did his best to try and answer her questions and keep her on side. “Now, you didn’t actually answer me properly. Why do you want to work here? Or why you want to be a lawyer, for that matter.” She said, finishing up writing some notes on his application.

Axel chewed at his bottom lip before looking to Aerith. “Does this come under privacy?” He asked, catching a hint of her smile as she focused on him again.

“You’re free to keep it to yourself, Axel.” She told him. “Not knowing why you want to be a lawyer won’t impact your interview.” She had done her fair share of assuring him during the interview, he must have been letting on how nervous he was feeling.

“I don’t really mind.” He’d relaxed a bit during the course of the interview, and apparently let slip some of his nerves, so he sat up straight again. “As you know, I moved here when I was young. My mother took me here to start over.” He started.

“No father?” She questioned, tilting her head to the side.

“He didn’t want a child, she did. They split amicably enough, and he left Radiant Gardens, according to her.” He said, wanting to make it known that he hadn’t really looked into his father, he just knew what his mother had told him.

“That must have been hard for you.” She said.

“Eh, I never knew him, didn’t really have anything to miss.” He spoke casually, careful to keep up his professionalism, making sure he didn’t slip into saying something stupid. “She got into some bad habits though, caught up with the wrong people. Eventually she got arrested, alongside them.” He said, speaking as though he was recounting a story, rather than a memory. He used to get emotional over the story, for sure, but after telling it so many times, he’d gotten to the point where it was simply a fact, not a point of pain. There was no point in crying over the past. “Her lawyer got her acquitted, as a victim of what had happened when she was just trying to provide for a child.” Axel spoke, Aerith’s undivided attention failing to unnerve him like he had expected it to. That’s it, confidence, keep it up.

It wasn’t the whole story, of course, he was hardly going to spill his soul to someone he barely knew in the hopes of her feeling sorry for him and offering him a job out of pity. He was desperate, but not that desperate.

“You look up to them, the lawyer?” She asked, seeming to understand the point of the story.

“He was the reason I decided to become a lawyer. My mother is safe and happy, and got a second chance. I want to be able to do that for others.” Axel spoke sincerely, a shift from his retelling of his past.

“As a lawyer, you can’t save everyone. You know that, right?” Aerith commented, likely knowing that from experience.

“I know that but saving even one person is a good start. Anything more than that is a bonus.” He said, smiling a little, feeling quite sheepish about his idealistic views on being a lawyer.

Slowly, a smile crossed Aerith’s face as she nodded. “Well, I think I’ve heard all I need to hear Axel. We’ve had a lot of applications, and we’re accepting two interns for this year. I’ll be in touch by around the middle of next week to let you know.” She stood, offering her hand out for another handshake.

Axel stood, accepting it happily, before taking a step back. “Thank you for this, I really do appreciate it.” He said, before ducking out of the room, leaving the office. Passing reception, Roxas was still away from the desk. He was half tempted to wait around for the blonde to emerge, but he came to the conclusion that it would just be wildly creepy, so he took a step out into the morning sun, holding his hands up to his forehead to block out the light. Now that his plans for the morning were dealt with, he could return home and figure out what he was going to do for his upcoming date.

Hours had passed, and as it grew closer to the time he was expected to pick up Roxas, he found himself growing nervous. This just wasn’t right, he never got nervous for a date! He stared into the cavern that was his wardrobe, sighing irately. What the hell was he even supposed to wear? He picked out a pair of black jeans that he knew for a _fact_ made his legs look even better than usual, throwing them over his shoulder.

“Axel, you’ve sighed like a bratty teenager like eight times. What’s so different about this date?” Demyx’s lazed voice filtered over to him. He was splayed out on his bed, head hanging off the end. He was waving his hands back and forth slowly, as if he were a conductor.

“I met him at the place I might be interning at for the foreseeable, what if he thinks I’m an asshole? He could make my life miserable.” Axel said. That wasn’t the whole reason. Truthfully, he had no idea why he was so nervous about the date. Roxas was definitely his type, but he barely knew anything about the guy. Usually he could gauge a guy in a few glances, or a bit of conversation, but Roxas was more than just a closed book, he was sealed under lock and key. Finally, Axel settled on a dark grey plaid shirt, favouring the short sleeves, considering the sun hadn’t relented just yet.

“Oh please, you’ve done worse in the past.” Demyx rolled his eyes, then gasped. “Oh my god, you’ve got feelings, don’t you? Axel’s in love!” The musician rolled onto his front, clasping his hands together with a delighted grin on his lips. Axel tugged out a pair of jeans, whipping them at the blonde, covering his face with the denim material, saving Axel the annoyance.

Demyx took every possible chance to gush over his current boyfriend, if he thought Axel had fallen for someone, he would be _relentless_. He’d probably even suggest trips out as a group and, god forbid, double dates.

“I am _not_ in love; I just owe the guy. He put his neck on the line to give me a second chance, he deserves a good date.” Axel argued, throwing the chosen shirt over his shoulder too, before gathering up a black hooded vest in his arms, looking it over. Wonderful, wonderful pocket space. He nodded to himself as he set them all on his desk, turning to see Demyx war with the jeans he’d tossed at him, finally throwing them aside.

“Jeez, where’d your sense of humour go? Did you have to replace it with all your _lovey-dovey feewings_?” Demyx’s grin was almost blinding as Axel pointed to the door.

“Out. I need to get ready and listening to you is really not putting me in the mood for a date.” Axel deadpanned, though he ended up grinning as Demyx hopped up, jogging over to the door.

“Whatever you sayyyyyy…” Demyx’s voice became muffled as the door shut on him. Ahh, sweet silence. Or, at least close enough to silence that he could accept it. He’d showered earlier, wanting to wash off the stress of his interview, before spending much of the day studying until Demyx had returned to the apartment to grill him on his date.

He lazily stripped off, tossing everything into the laundry basket before picking out a comfortable, yet attractive pair of boxers, slipping them up his legs. He didn’t _expect_ anything from the date, he was happy for it to be a simple dinner, but if it went somewhere else, he wanted to be ready. Wriggling into his jeans, he quickly sprayed some deodorant and a splash of aftershave, careful not to overdo it. With that done, he tucked his wallet in his pocket alongside his phone, then pulled his shirt on, the hooded vest following. He glanced at the clock, almost half past.

He smiled a little, running a hand through his hair. This was gonna go great, he was sure of it. He made his way out of his room, approaching the coatrack, Adorned atop it like a crown, a helmet with a sleek black visor. He lifted it off, grabbing a jacket along with it. “Don’t wait up.” Axel hummed, tucking his feet into a pair of sleek black boots, his favourite pair.

“You’re taking the bike? You are _so_ trying to impress him!” Demyx exclaimed, laughing softly as Axel flipped him off. He picked up his keys once he’d put his jacket on, closing the door behind him. His motorbike wasn’t even that impressive, it was just cheaper to maintain than a car, and looked nicer. Plus, he definitely looked good on it, that really helped. Jogging down the stairs to the ground floor, he went down one more flight of stairs, opening out into the underground parking lot the apartment had. It might not have been the nicest apartment block, but a safer parking space was absolutely worth it.

The pale white lighting of the parking lot flickered weakly as he arrived through the door, a depressing neon glow cast over the various cars stored down there. He approached the bike, smiling down at the machine with a happy sigh. It was a sleek ride, black matte finish, he’d managed to earn enough money before university to buy the bike second hand and learnt enough to tune the bike up. He personally wasn’t a fan of low riding bikes, the type collectors would go crazy for, so after months of saving, he finally managed to get himself a typical road-faring bike. Who knew, if being a lawyer fell through, he could upgrade to a sports bike and get in on the racing scene. They’d just have to ignore the fact he had no race experience.

A second helmet was locked to the bike, for whenever he needed a passenger, mainly Demyx late for classes. He threw one leg over the saddle of the bike, pulling the helmet down over his mess of hair. He tugged his phone out of his jeans, quickly checking the time. He still had five minutes; he was golden. Once his phone was secure, he put the key in the ignition, feeling the bike growl to life, rumbling beneath him.

Within a few moments, he was out on the road. There was something incredibly liberating about driving a motorbike, probably a mix of the wind whipping at him as he navigated the streets, and the fact that he could so smoothly guide the bike, unlike a car, which he always felt was just unwieldly. Following the same route he’d taken just a few hours prior, he steadily made his way back towards Leonhart’s firm.

~

Roxas gathered up the small pack of steaming coffees that had been delivered to the front desk, handing over the cash. He waved off the delivery boy, before heading into the main office, setting the pack down on the desk. “Coffee’s here!” He called, rousing the attention of the near catatonic lawyers hunched over their casework.

Yuffie was the first to arrive at his call, scooping up her hot chocolate with an appreciative smile, cradling it to her chest like a new-born. “You’re a lifesaver Rox.” She sighed, taking a quick sip. She grimaced immediately afterwards, making Roxas roll his eyes. _Every_ day, every single time they ordered hot drinks for the office, Yuffie would manage to burn her mouth. She was only a few years older than him and was already working at the firm full time as their media expert. When she found out that Roxas was a journalism student, they’d immediately become friendly.

“Oh, Roxas. You’re leaving soon, aren’t you?” Aerith approached, accepting the offered cappuccino.

“Yeah, I should be getting picked up in a few.” He said, sliding the box of coffees and various other beverages as the rest of the lawyers peeled themselves out of their chairs, thankful for the renewing warmth of some expensive beverages.

“I’ll have someone cover the desk, so no need to worry.” Aerith said, looking to the door. “We shouldn’t need you working overtime next week, interviews are over, though I won’t turn it down either, you’re always a lot of help.” She said, cracking the top of the coffee cup, letting some of the aromatic steam out, hoping to avoid Yuffie’s fate.

“I’ll see what I’ve got coming up class wise and let you know.” Roxas said with a nod.

“That’s perfect, thanks.” She gave him her signature smile, returning to her desk. It was just as jampacked as everyone else’s desks, yet seemed to somehow exude cleanliness, buried underneath manilla folders and leftover slips of paper.

With the den of lions appeased, Roxas retreated to the front desk, moving to gather up his personal effects. He slung his bag over his shoulder, slipping his phone into one of the various pouches for safekeeping. He swept the sandwich wrapper he’d left around after lunch into a nearby bin, ensuring he hadn’t left anything behind he wasn’t supposed to, before pocketing his keys. He didn’t tend to need them, but if there was ever a time where Roxas had to lock up for the night, or open in the morning, he’d hate to have to call Aerith and ask her to do it for him.

Outside the door, he heard the roar of an engine, softly dying down to a gentle purr. He glanced at the clock, smiling a little. Right on time. He took a step outside, raising an eyebrow. Axel sat up properly on his bike, tugging his helmet off. To fix the damage done to his long hair by the cramped confines of the black helmet, he ran a hand through his hair, looking over at Roxas with a charming smile.

Oh _please_. Show off.

“Face tattoos and you drive a bike? Did you see those warning videos about ‘hooligans’ in school, and just decided that was what you wanted in life?” He asked. He let out a bit more humour than usual, just to let Axel know he wasn’t judging him that much. The bike looked beautiful.

“Damn, you figured me out already? I thought that would’ve been a third date kind of revelation.” Even if he couldn’t have seen the grin, it was practically audible in his voice as he pulled free the spare helmet, passing it to Roxas.

The blonde accepted it, tucking it under his arm. “Wow, you think you’re gonna see me three times? You’re lucky I like confident guys.” Axel let out a chuckle, looking over at him properly.

“Very lucky.” He agreed. “You ever ridden on one of these before?” Axel asked.

“Nah, but I’ve always wanted to. I’ve never really gotten the whole ‘car obsessed dude’ thing, but bikes. Bikes are cool.” Roxas walked over, brushing a hand against the sleek chassis, feeling the cool metal practically jump against him, as if it were alive.

“Should I give you two a minute alone?” Axel’s teasing pulled him free, and he couldn’t suppress the snort that escaped him.

“Could you?” Roxas asked, before putting the helmet on, climbing onto the bike. He hesitated for a moment, before looping his arms around Axel’s stomach. Despite how skinny he looked; he could feel the subtle muscles of his chest. He pressed his hand to Axel’s abdomen, his other arm around his waist, his hand gripping against his hip. It had been a long time since Roxas had gotten this close to someone he actually intended to spend time with, at least, time that wasn’t spent in a bedroom.

“You seem pretty content with me for now.” Axel shot back, pulling the helmet back over his hair.

“It’s because I’m between you and the bike.” Roxas said casually, muffled by the helmet as he held on tight, the bike roaring back to life. It sent a shiver through his body, it was similar to the vibrations you’d feel on any kind of transport, but so much more personal and focused, specifically between his legs. He could _really_ see the appeal of owning a motorcycle now. He tucked the idea away, filed under ‘ _things I should totally do when all my money isn’t spent surviving._ ’

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Axel called over his shoulder, before revving the engine, a pulse of vibration ripping through him, as if a live wire had been attached to every fibre of his being. Maybe he’d keep Axel around for more than just a date. Or sweet talk Aerith into hiring him so he could ask for a lift home at the end of the day. Both seemed pretty feasible, actually. “Hold on tight!”

Roxas could just about hear him over the roar of the engine as they drove out onto the road. He instinctively tightened his grip, pressing in close. Axel’s intense body heat paired with the pleasant vibrations made a blush burn across his cheeks.

If he was stuck with a boner in the middle of an Italian restaurant for the next hour or two, he was going to trash this damn bike.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Axel having a motorcycle and Roxas LOVING it is a reference to an incredible fic I read that helped to inspire me to get back into writing KH! The support I've gotten so far for this fic has been great so thank you everyone who's read and left likes c:


	3. Date Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With my other fic wrapping up, I get more time to fawn over Axel and Roxas, hell yeah

They finally came to a stop, the rumble of the bike dying down beneath them. Axel glanced to his side, eyes met with a fairly lowkey restaurant, the kind that hipsters would frequent for lunches before going off to critique art deco architecture. Almost all of his knowledge on hipsters came from one very specific, very pretentious pink haired ‘friend’, so he could hardly be blamed for his lack of information. He tugged his helmet off, brushing the messy red locks out of his eyes before he looked over his shoulder. Roxas had stayed clung to his back, arms braced against his chest.

“We made it, no crashing.” Axel bragged, hearing the quiet scoff come from Roxas as he finally untangled himself, clambering off the bike. He had _attempted_ to drive a bit slower, considering it had been Roxas’ first time on the back of a bike, but he felt like Roxas would take it as a bit of an insult if he’d driven slow.

Roxas pulled his helmet off, glancing over at Axel. His cheeks were flushed pink, eyes slightly unfocused as he breathed out a soft, ragged breath. Axel was quickly filled with the desire to suggest they skip dinner and find somewhere quiet, if he could make Roxas look like that after a simple drive on the back of a bike, he couldn’t wait to see what Roxas looked like after a night with him. “Barely.” Roxas’ words dragged him out of his thoughts, and he caught sight of the blonde’s grin, fixing the various strands of his hair that had been squashed down before handing him the helmet.

Axel accepted a bit too quickly, doing his best to seem like he wasn’t staring, lost in thought. “You know, most people would just be relieved to get here so quickly.” Axel pointed out, locking the pair of helmets on the bike before climbing off, towering over Roxas with accidental ease. Going by the look on Roxas’ face, he’d realized that they hadn’t actually stood next to each other. The spiky tufts of hair afforded Roxas an extra inch or two of height, but he still only reached Axel’s shoulder, having to crane his neck up to meet his eyes.

“Don’t.” Roxas said, voice dropping an octave as he narrowed his eyes. He’d clearly seen that Axel had noticed the height difference between them. Axel could barely supress his smile, avoiding the urge to laugh.

“Not a clue what you mean.” He said, gesturing off to the side, towards the restaurant he’d chosen. Specialising in light meals, specifically Italian cuisine, mainly used for early dinners between smaller parties, something that Axel hoped would work well for them both.

Roxas’ glare lightened ever so slightly as he was given the option of food over dwelling on his short stature. The blonde swiftly passed him by, pushing open the glass door separating them from a barrage of delightful scents, spices and herby flavours punctuating the air. Axel followed behind eagerly, trailing Roxas to the table he’d picked out, a comfortable two-person table tucked up against a large window peering out on the town. Once Roxas had picked his side of the table, he’d taken the opposite, sliding into the seat comfortably.

“Drinks?” Roxas asked, plucking the wine menu off the table, nudging the frame of his glasses up with his knuckle.

“I distinctly remember you telling me you were having the most expensive bottle on the menu.” Axel said amusedly as Roxas nodded, setting the wine down.

“Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me.” Roxas hummed, plucking an actual menu out of the small holder.

“I feel like you’d have miraculously remembered either way.” Axel pointed out, doing the same. Anything pasta based was a good meal for him, but it was hardly the kind of thing to eat in a restaurant, he’d probably end up wearing half the plate. He skimmed the menu, before settling on a seafood risotto.

“Oh definitely.” Roxas agreed, looking through the menu he had picked up, tapping his chin in thought.

“We’re ordering garlic bread, right?” It was painfully stereotypical, but Axel would gladly fight anyone if it meant he could have garlic bread.

“The fact you have to ask makes me worry for the rest of this night.” Roxas wore a small grin on his lips as he set his menu down, nodding. “I think I’ve got my order thought out.” Roxas murmured, and as if on command, a waiter appeared at their table, clutching a small notepad, plucking a pencil from behind their ear.

“Can I take your drinks orders?” The waiter asked, offering up a smile Axel easily identified as tired but trying. A relatable look.

“We’ll have your most expensive bottle of wine.” Axel spoke confidently, looking up at him.

“Sir, our most expensive bottle is over two hundred pounds.” Axel’s confidence waned.

“What about your fanciest wine, that looks expensive but won’t bankrupt a student?” Roxas asked quickly. Axel was relieved, he was about to accept the horrifically expensive wine, all in the name of not losing face.

“About sixty.” The waiter relayed. Roxas blew out a breath of relief, eyes flickering over to settle on Axel. He gave a soft nod, trying not to laugh.

“That’s perfect.” Roxas said, smiling as he handed his menu over. “And I’ll also have the _minestra maritata_ , please.” Roxas managed to pronounce the soup almost perfectly, at least to Axel’s painfully uncultured ears. The waiter turned to face Axel, so he quickly focused his eyes on the menu again.

“Uh, the mushroom risotto please, oh and a bowl of garlic bread for the table.” Axel relinquished his menu, offering a polite smile as the waiter nodded, telling them their food would be out shortly. Axel turned his attention back to Roxas, grinning.

“So, I’m the show-off?” Axel asked, chuckling as he spotted the grin on Roxas’ face. He really was handsome, god damn it. It was much harder to keep his cool on a date when his date was so pretty.

“I live with a chef in training, and I order a _lot_ of Italian food, you kinda just pick it up.” Roxas said, resting his arms down against the table as he pulled his chair in a little, gazing up at Axel. “Sora has an entire module based on Italian desserts, I’m pretty sure he was mumbling ‘tiramisu’ in his sleep. I am absolutely gonna gain a few pounds, he always uses our kitchen as a testing ground.” Roxas told him, though didn’t look at all bothered by the fact, rather he seemed eager for the onslaught of sweet treats.

Axel’s snickers were harder to contain at the thought, before the gears in his head started turning. Sora. Why did he recognize that name? It was so familiar.

“Sora? Brown hair, spiky as hell, could chat for the country?” Axel asked, wondering if he was thinking about the same person. Roxas seemed wary about confirming. “Attached at the hip to a silver haired dude?” Axel added.

“Yup, that’s Sora.” Roxas deadpanned, before narrowing his eyes a little. “How do _you_ know Sora?” Has asked curiously.

“His ‘definitely not a boyfriend’ Riku visits the bar I work at, we got to talking and made friends, he’d never really introduced me to the puppy though, but I overheard the name.” Axel explained, holding his hands up in mock surrender.

“You think they’re super obvious too?” Roxas asked.

“Dude, I thought they were married.” Axel said casually, grinning to match Roxas.

“Thank you! Everyone else we know just tells me I’m going crazy, and that they’re just close because they know each other so well.” Roxas grumbled, as if he’d found definitive proof in Axel’s humble opinion.

“Are you kidding? I think those two could only be more obvious if they just started going at it in the middle of the bar.” Axel said, shaking his head. Hearing Roxas laugh, and then quickly groan as he no doubt was assaulted by the mental image, was a delight. He was definitely going to try and make him laugh some more.

“So, you work at that bar they love? The Usual Place, right?” Roxas asked, perking up as their wine was delivered to the table in a small bucket packed with ice. The waiter did the honours of unsealing the bottle, pouring them both a generous helping into wine glasses before heading off for their food.

Axel plucked his glass up, nodding affirmatively. “Yeah, I usually work nights near the end of the week, overtime when they need me.” He explained, reaching over to clink glasses when Roxas offered, before taking a sip. His face immediately scrunched up. “Oh, that is awful.” Roxas was wearing a similar look on his face.

“That might be the worst wine I’ve ever tasted.” Roxas agreed, eyeing up the wine suspiciously, as if they’d been duped. Chances being, they really didn’t have much of a palate for fancy wines, Axel was more used to vodka, or anything that burned away taste buds. He shrugged and threw back the glass, grimacing.

“Waste not, want not.” He grimaced, earning a laugh from Roxas as he shook his head.

“Why would you drink _more_ of that?” He asked, wide smile plastered over his face. He seemed to only smile at Axel’s jokes, or his misfortune. Looks like he’d have to lay on the jokes.

“Did you not hear the price of that wine? I’m drinking this no matter how shit it tastes.” Axel said, smiling as Roxas did.

“You make a damn good point.” He replied, knocking back the glass before pouring them both another glass. The waiter returned to the table, dexterously placing two plates down, one with Axel’s risotto, and the other with a small pile of garlic bread, carefully setting Roxas’ bowl down in front of him. From what Axel could see, it was a broth style soup full of winter vegetables, greens and some meat. Simple, but likely warming and delicious, Axel could appreciate that.

He thanked their waiter before digging in, covering his mouth as a question struck his mind. “So, what do you do other than look pretty behind a desk all day?” Axel asked, teasing evident in his voice as Roxas rolled his eyes. He flipped him off, before tucking into his soup, soaking up some of the broth with a slice of garlic bread.

“Resist the urge to kick you from under the table?” He supplied, before shaking his head. “I’m a student too, first year in journalism. It’s been an interesting start, all things considered.” Roxas told him. Axel was mildly surprised, he was sure he’d have recognized Roxas if he’d seen him before, especially since he was a journalism student. Axel had taken extra modules in media studies, something that was great because he got to branch out, not so great when he got a look at the assignment list tacked on the side. Then again, Roxas was a first year, and he didn’t have to take another module in that vein until next semester, the start of year two was fully focused on law modules, and he’d been so inundated with assignments that most of his time was spent going from class to home to work, usually in that order with some vague idea of sleep in between.

“Journalism, huh? Oh, do you have this crotchety old bastard as a lecturer? Pretty much full bald, looks like he enjoys shouting at kids at the weekend, more wrinkles on his face than a bulldog?” The name was on the tip of his tongue, but he’d all but scrubbed the memory of his awful first year class from his mind.

“Professor Westbrook?” Roxas supplied, smile growing as Axel almost surged up out of his chair in triumph.

“Professor Westbrook!” Axel agreed, before the pair descended into laughter. Much of the rest of their conversation revolved around bitching about classes, overt flirting on Axel’s part, with subtle responses from Roxas as they shared their awful wine, finishing off their food. Axel had only been to the restaurant a few times, but now he was going to have to make it a regular thing, the food was great, but the company was probably better.

“I’ll admit, that was definitely one of the best dinners I’ve had in a while, Sora’s cooking exempt, obviously.” Roxas chewed on the last piece of garlic bread, seeming wholly content with life. Despite that, Axel still found it difficult to read him. He was so different to ‘work Roxas’, it was hard to tell which was a front, or whether they were both true to Roxas’ core, and he just changed based on his surroundings, like a sexy chameleon. Axel quickly shook that thought free, clearing his throat.

“You're hyping up Sora’s cooking a lot, I might need to ask Riku for a care package.” He mused, before glancing around the restaurant. “Hey, I’m gonna quickly hit the bathroom, be right back.” He said, pushing himself up from the table.

“I’ll do my best not to drink all the wine.” The sarcasm dripping from his voice was accompanied by a nod, waving Axel off as he rushed to relieve himself. Missing out on precious date time for a piss was the worst.

~

Roxas looked towards the window, thinking to himself as Axel’s absence provided an obvious lull in conversation. This really wasn’t going as badly as he had expected it to. Axel was funny, they had a few common hobbies and interests, and last but certainly not least, the dude was _hot_. The fact he had a motorbike kept bubbling up in the back of his head, but he ignored that. Dinner had been a success, the wine tasted like distilled piss, but the food more than made up for it, and spending some time with someone that wasn’t Sora, Naminé, or his small group that he’d met when university started, was such a refreshing experience.

His phone buzzed to life, rattling against the coins stuffed in his pocket. He quickly fished it out, peering down at the illuminated screen.

_[Sora: 17:46] Hey Rox, movie got rescheduled to later so me and Riku are gonna be studying at his place, how’s the date going?_

Roxas tapped his chin, thinking to himself. It was going well, he couldn’t lie, but how much of that did he actually want to tell Sora? If he let him know he actually liked the guy, Sora would have planned their wedding by next Saturday. Maybe keep it subtle.

_[Roxas: 17:47] Actually not that bad, I’ll see ya when you escape your lover’s nest._

Roxas tucked his phone away as it buzzed, three times within the space of a few seconds. Cruel, but oh so fun. He smiled a little, just in time for Axel to return, wallet in hand.

“Thinking about me?” Axel asked, confidence oozing out as he took his seat.

“Nah, just replying to a text.” Brutal honesty didn’t seem to deter Axel’s smile, and he kind of liked that. He wasn’t known for smothering his urge to annoy people, so considering Axel seemed impervious to it, maybe it’d be fun to test those limits.

“Oof, my bleeding heart.” Axel replied sarcastically as he finished off his glass of wine, scrunching his nose up.

“Hey, wanna get out of here?” Roxas’ brain caught up to his mouth a moment too late. He swallowed down the flutter of nerves as he looked up at him, offering a rare smile. Axel seemed to stop working for a moment before he nodded.

“Anywhere in specific?” Axel asked, eyes searching Roxas’ face, likely for any sort of doubts. Good luck finding those.

“My roommate won’t be home for a few hours.” He said simply. He half expected to see Axel short circuit again, but instead he just smiled, eyes narrowing a fraction. He hadn’t quite noticed how pretty Axel’s eyes were, beautifully intense jade, and when they were bearing down on him like this, he couldn’t help but appreciate them more.

“I’ll go pay.” Axel nodded back to the bar, turning on his heel. Roxas followed his steps, eyes trailing him up and down. Oh, this was absolutely happening. He hopped up, taking a quick swig straight from the bottle of wine when he was sure no one was watching, or at the very least, Axel wasn’t, before making his way out of the restaurant.

Once he was outside, he took a step to the side, letting a couple pass him. He leaned up against the wall, waiting on Axel, his eyes settling on the other man’s bike, a smile spreading. He got caught up thinking about their trip back to the apartment, the fact that it was a bit longer than the trip from work to the restaurant for one. He almost didn’t notice Axel appear until he’d obscured his vision of the bike, one of Axel’s hands pressing into the wall by his head.

“I was enjoying the view.” Roxas hummed, gazing up.

Jade green met sapphire blue.

A feeling like a bolt of electricity raced up his spine, the enclosed space crafted by Axel’s body looming over his made his heart race.

“So am I.” The huskiness in Axel’s voice broke down what little barriers Roxas had left. He reached up, grasping Axel by the collar, tugging him down into a frantic, needy kiss. The first clash was marred by the taste of vile wine, but Roxas easily ignored that, his other hand moving to Axel’s hip, pulling him in close. The hand splayed out by his head swiftly slid past, his arm laying down against his shoulder as he returned the kiss.

The kiss turned up a notch, and Roxas couldn’t hold back the heady moan escaping his lips, before they were cut off, a random passer-by yelling at them to get a room. They pulled away from each other, both letting out a sheepish laugh. “Forgot it’s still kinda early.” Roxas breathed out, grinning a little.

Axel nodded back to the bike. “Fancy taking that guys advice?” He asked, his lips curving into a grin as he pulled away from Roxas.

“You have no idea.” Roxas said, letting some eagerness leak through as they approached the bike, scooping up his helmet. With both of them on the bike, Roxas gave him his address, not all that worried about handing it out. Anyone that interviewed with the law firm was looked into with a lot of scrutiny, so he knew for a fact he wasn’t bringing some kind of killer home.

Roxas carefully wrapped his arms around Axel’s waist, hands a bit less tentative about touching the red head. He was about to get _much_ more intimate with him anyway, he was hardly going to blush over getting a good hold on him. The bike rumbled beneath him as Axel leaned forward just a bit, driving out onto the open street. Roxas felt him shift, feeling the taller man brush against him. His eyes narrowed as he kept his arms squeezed around Axel, pushing closer. He definitely did that on purpose.

The trip didn’t take that long, though Roxas wasn’t all there, lost in thought about what was coming, the delightful reverberations between his legs accompanying the various ideas running through his head. He almost missed the fact that they had stopped, only pulled out of his reverie by the lump of body heat in front of him moving away. He looked up, catching sight of Axel as he pulled the helmet off of him. The dim light of Twilight Town as the sun set, with Axel in the forefront, looking back at him with an easy smile, offering his hand out.

Roxas pulled the helmet off, locking it back on the bike before accepting Axel’s hand. Without much time to protest, the taller man leaned down, stealing a kiss as he hefted Roxas up off the bike like he weighed nothing, arm secure around his waist as he was held close, the wonderful warmth returning as he quickly slipped his arms around Axel’s neck. He pushed down the urge to smack him, or tell him off for lifting him so casually, but he wasn’t focused enough. Axel’s lips were a much more pressing matter. He wrapped his legs around Axel’s hips, hands running through his hair as he returned the kiss. He broke it for a moment by biting down gently on the red head’s bottom lip, pulling back just enough so that they could see each other, eyes clashing for a moment or so.

“I’m gonna need my hands for the door.” He pointed out as Roxas released his bottom lip, instead attacking his neck with a variety of kisses, bites and licks, letting Axel do the heavy lifting; literally, vaguely aware that they were moving towards his apartment.

“I’ll handle that when we get there.” Roxas muttered against his skin, searching Axel’s neck and jaw for a spot that’d make him weak. If this was another one-night stand, so be it, but he was going to make damn sure that Axel _remembered_ it. As they blundered their way into the elevator, he found it, a spot where neck met shoulder, the graze of his teeth enough to make Axel’s breath hitch, even felt his legs shake for a moment. _Gotcha_.

“Roxas…” His tone was almost warning, almost, before Roxas descended, hooking his fingers into the hood of his black vest, tugging it aside enough to allow him to sink his teeth into the spot. Axel fell back against the wall of the elevator, hand brushing against most of the buttons they had access to before grabbing at Roxas’ thighs, fingers digging in enough to bruise. It was fucking excellent.

“Mhm?” Roxas asked against his skin, sucking a dark red mark into his neck, reaching back with practiced accuracy to press the right elevator button, overwriting Axel’s flailing.

“God, fuck.” Axel cursed, breath ragged as one hand stayed secure on one of Roxas’ thighs, holding him in place as the other trailed up his back, threading through his blonde locks. The rough tug sent chills through his body, a shiver driving up his spine as he finally relented, letting go off the spot, pulling back to look Axel in the eyes.

“Potty mouth.” Roxas murmured, before he crashed their lips together again, feeling the lurch of the elevator bring them up through the building. Axel returned the kiss as rough as he got it, another tug to Roxas’ hair ripped a groan from him. He pulled back, panting softly as he admired the work he’d done. Axel’s eyes were a little bit glazed over, lips pleasantly bruised, his hands groping over every available inch of Roxas’ body.

“You’re one to talk.” Axel shot back, letting Roxas down as the elevator slid open. Sweet silence. He was relieved they hadn’t accidentally given some sweet old woman a show she probably didn’t want.

“Hmm, yeah, can’t deny that one.” Roxas slid out of the elevator with Axel hot on his heels, hands doing a bad job of keeping themselves to themselves. He found his keys quickly enough, groaning as Axel pressed him up against the door. Axel’s hands descended down to his sides, the slow rocking of hips drawing a moan from Roxas’ lips.

“You sound fucking incredible.” Axel’s voice was barely a growl, hands digging into him. Roxas was struggling to concentrate on much else, finally managing to unlock the door, pushing it open, allowing them to stumble in. Axel kicked the door shut behind him as they returned to their kiss. Doing his best not to fall on his ass, Roxas grabbed Axel by the hips, leading him backwards towards his room. Nudging the door open with his hip, Roxas pulled Axel in with him, pushing the door shut after him.

They finally broke apart from the kiss, both panting. “Fuck.” Roxas mumbled under his breath as he brushed his hair out of his face. He was glad he’d gone on the date in his work gear, less washing.

“Agreed.” Axel hummed, shrugging his hooded vest off. They both went silent, rummaging through their respective pockets, until they were both looking at each other, both holding a condom. Roxas had shoved one in his wallet just in case, and Axel had a few shoved in his back pocket. “Uh…” He started.

Roxas raised an eyebrow. “What? You thought because you’re a damn _tree_ I was just gonna let you be on top?” Roxas asked, smirking a little at the sight of Axel suddenly turning bashful.

“… No?” He asked, grinning a little. Roxas plucked the condom out of Axel’s hand, tossing it aside.

“On your knees.” Roxas said, watching Axel’s face shift from sheepishness to excitement. The red head sank down, legs spread apart when he reached the floor, successfully face to crotch, right on command. Roxas got to work undoing the buttons on his shirt as Axel started on his belt. Now this, he could get used to.

“Can I ask a favour?” Axel hummed as he pulled Roxas’ belt free, tossing it aside.

“Depends.” Roxas said, shrugging his black shirt off. Underneath his professional gear, lightly sun kissed skin, on the edge of pale, subtle muscle, something Axel seemed to appreciate. He undid the button of his work slacks before tugging them down, revealing Roxas’ not so subtle bulge, clad in tight black boxers.

“Keep the glasses on?” Axel asked, sliding his fingers into the waistband of Roxas’ underwear before leaning forward, pressing lazy kisses along the clothed shaft, stopping at the tip before yanking his underwear down. Axel watched, entranced as his cock bounced back up, nudging against Axel’s chin. With a dusting of well maintained blonde pubes, Roxas was above average, decently endowed, and by the look on Axel’s face, more than enough for him.

“You break ‘em, you buy ‘em.” Roxas said simply, stepping out of the collection of underwear and slacks, a step closer to Axel. He had one foot between Axel’s legs, the other on the side of Axel’s thigh as he brushed his hands through the taller man’s hair.

“Yes sir.” Axel hummed, grasping his hips as he leant in, pressing light, almost teasing kisses against his thigh, travelling up slowly, avoiding the obvious target, instead kissing along his hip, hands slipping around to give Roxas’ ass a quick squeeze.

“Mm, come on Axel, no teasing.” He said lightly, reaching down to grasp his jaw, making him look up at him. Their eyes met, and Roxas quickly forgot any attempts at taking it slow.

“Impatient.” The words were practically purred out as Axel wrapped a hand around the base of Roxas’ cock. Roxas let out a relieved sigh as Axel’s lips wrapped around the tip of his cock, taking no time in sucking down much of him, tongue rubbing along the underside to help guide him down. Roxas’ hands balled to fists in Axel’s hair as he felt the red head take him deeper. He had _clearly_ done this before.

The actions seemed to make Axel move faster, bobbing his head eagerly as his eyes rose to meet Roxas’, silently seeing how he was doing. Roxas could already feel the blush spreading across his own face as he rocked his hips forward, groaning out as he kept Axel’s mouth moving, shallow thrusts to keep him staved away from the peak. “Mm, alright slow down, my turn.” Roxas pulled him off, watching the lewd display of Axel, hair messed up, lips glistening with spit as he pulled away, quickly undoing his shirt buttons.

“No complaints from me.” Axel hummed, pausing as he stared up at Roxas. The blonde took the edge of the condom packet between his teeth, tearing it apart before hastily sliding it down his shaft. He paused, raising an eyebrow.

“What?” Axel perked up as he was questioned, shaking his head.

“Uh, nothing.” He assured, shrugging his shirt off. The blush on his face was enough to tell Roxas he’d done a good job. Roxas helped him up before pushing him back onto the bed, making quick work of the rest of Axel’s clothes until he was naked, laying back against the bed like a damn painting, splayed out and waiting for him. As he’d already felt through Axel’s jeans, he was _big,_ and he was silently relieved he’d convinced Axel to bottom. Roxas moved to his bedside table, scooping up a bottle of lube before returning to the foot of the bed. He poured some of the mixture out onto his hands, rubbing them together before gesturing for Axel to move.

On cue, Axel reached down to hook his fingers behind his knees, pulling his legs back towards himself, his knees, closer to his shoulders now. Willing _and_ flexible? He was definitely getting kept around. Axel climbed onto the bed, reaching down between Axel’s thighs to wrap a hand around his cock, stroking it steadily as his other hand moved down, trailing his pointer finger down between his cheeks. Brushing against Axel’s entrance, he watched his face darken.

“You look good like this.” Roxas slid his finger inside slowly, the position affording some leniency, Axel’s relaxation doing most of the work. Slid down to the knuckle, he curled his finger upwards, searching for the spot that would drive Axel wild. The redhead looked like he wanted to respond, no doubt a smartass comment, so he picked up the pace of his strokes, rendering Axel a groaning mess. Roxas added a second finger, thrusting in and out steadily as he curled his fingers again, bumping against a solid bundle of nerves that drew out a shocked moan, cheeks burning bright as Roxas grinned.

“Fuck! Come on Rox, I’m good, just get to it.” He groaned. Roxas distinctly remembered being called impatient a few moments ago, but he pushed past it, and pushed past the nickname too, instead thrusting his fingers a bit faster, nudging against his prostate as his hand stroked him in a similar rhythm, watching precum bead at the tip.

“Hmm, I dunno.” Roxas spread his fingers inside Axel, watching him writhe, toes curling as he rocked his hips down, his blissed-out face attempting to form a scowl. “Ask nicely.” Axel growled, though it devolved into an indignant whimper as he was stroked faster.

“Okay, okay! Please, just fuck me.” He begged, eyes narrowing as Roxas let out a soft snicker.

“Sorry, it was definitely worth it.” After spreading his fingers out a few more times, he pulled them out, slathering a liberal amount of lube over his condom covered cock, getting comfortable between Axel’s legs, rubbing up against him teasingly as he leaned down, kissing Axel. It was slow, methodical, designed to drive him wild as he sunk himself down, feeling Axel’s warmth around him. They shared a moan as their lips collided. He tucked his hands under Axel’s legs, taking over for the red head, his bottoming out inside him.

“Fuck.” Axel groaned against his lips, a smile spreading across Roxas’ lips as he rocked his hips, retreating for a mere moment before he slid back in. Everything from there on out blended together in a sweaty, exhausting medley, the pleasant buzz of half a bottle of disgusting wine, and the intoxicating noises escaping Axel ferrying him to mindless oblivion. He definitely lasted longer than he’d expected, reaching his peak around the same time as Axel, drinking in the pleasure painted across his face.

He carefully pulled himself out, flopping back down on the bed next to his date, tying off the condom, tossing it haphazardly towards the bin in the corner of the room. If he missed, that was a problem for morning Roxas. Morning Roxas would absolutely hate horny Roxas, but that was no surprise. “So… fancy a second date sometime?” Roxas asked, tucking his hands behind his head. He heard a gentle laugh, the rustling of sheets as Axel got comfortable.

“If it’s anything like this? Absolutely.” Axel said. Roxas glanced over, eyes tracing over his reclined form. He was in a similar position as Roxas, messy hair and sweat slick skin, the undeniable glow of a good time radiating off of him.

Their eyes met, and Axel smiled. Definitely a second date.

“I’ll text you my timetable tomorrow, see if we can figure out a good time.” Roxas said. It was noncommittal enough to hide his eagerness for a second date. It wasn’t _just_ the phenomenal fuck that made him excited to see Axel again, he had actually enjoyed their night together. Even the date part. Axel was interesting enough to hold his attention, and he was fun.

“Hey uh, how long did you say your roommate would be out for?” Axel asked, a coy smile on his lips.

Roxas’ own smile spread as he pushed himself up off the bed, resting in a reclined position, hands keeping him up off the bed. “Probably another few hours. Why?” He didn’t really need to ask, the look on Axel’s face was enough.

Axel pushed up, following Roxas’ lead, leaning in to steal a kiss before climbing off the bed. “Because I’m gonna let you make me a delicious pot of coffee, then give you the most mind-blowing second round of your life.” To accentuate his words, he rocked his hips side to side, his half hard dick following suit.

Roxas snorted, covering his mouth to muffle his laughs, which set Axel off. He rolled off his bed, moving over to lean up, returning the previous kiss. “You’re the worst.”

He heard no arguments as he wandered off to the kitchen, the sound of Axel’s footsteps accompanying him. They were in for a long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time to add a plethora of new tags, they got nasty. I know the tags say slowburn, but I'm taking that for the emotional side of their relationship, they're gonna take a fuckin age to develop that, but by god are they gonna fuck.


	4. Awful Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little slow on the update, but I've almost wrapped up another fic I've been on for ages, so I should have more time to work on this!

“You’re going on a third date this soon?” Sora’s voice drifted over, accompanied by the occasional pulsing of a handheld whisk. Roxas would usually have headphones in when Sora was busy in the kitchen, but after being asked to taste test various creams and frostings, he was coaxed out of his room. The kitchen table was covered in various sheets of paper, concise notes hastily written over each surface. Despite only being about half way through his first semester, he had been loaded up with assignments, they weren’t due any time soon, something he was eminently thankful for, but he refused to let them build up and go into panic mode. Panic mode was not fun.

“It’s not a _date_ date, we’re just hanging out.” Roxas defended. “Is it really that weird?” He asked. After their first date on Saturday, and their subsequent hook-up, Roxas and Axel had exchanged numbers, and got to talking. Sunday, he had studied with Sora, and spent the rest of the day with the brunet, resisting the urge to spend all day fawning over his phone, expecting a text. Monday, he had classes most of the day, and somehow, Tuesday was an even busier day for Roxas, he’d gotten time off from work to work through assignments and visit campus to discuss some specifics about his work. Once he’d chewed through the majority of his work, Axel had offered to take him out to get his mind off of it. They ended up seeing a movie, which he’d argue wasn’t really a date but he’d been roasting Sora about his cinema visit with Riku so he just conveniently didn’t bring that up, refusing to have Sora beat him in an argument.

It was now Thursday, and with no classes in sight, he’d told Aerith he’d work overtime on Friday to help deal with an influx of cases. Despite working reception almost singlehandedly, he also helped keep track of everything that went on in the office. Being called ‘invaluable’ enough times by Aerith absolutely went to his head, but the office would fall apart without him, so he felt he could afford the ego.

“It’s not weird, no.” Sora said quickly, moving over to the table with a spoonful of white frosting, holding his hand under the spoon to avoid dropping any on Roxas’ work. “It’s just that I never would’ve expected you to be so eager for a date.” Sora said, ignoring the scowl thrown his way as he pressed the spoon forward. Roxas huffed, before eating the offered frosting. His scowl was replaced by a wide grin.

“That one works really well, butterscotch and… A little vanilla?” Roxas asked. It wasn’t as sickly sweet as it sounded, Sora had managed to find a balance that allowed him to enjoy the flavour without being forced through a sugar rush.

“Yup! You’re getting better than me at recognising flavours.” He hummed, smiling as he returned to the counter, gathering up the ingredients he needed to make muffins.

“I can put it on my CV alongside my newly found diabetes.” Roxas joked, rolling his eyes as he heard Sora snicker, completely unrepentant in his part in trying to ruin Roxas’ figure. “Also, you don’t get to avoid the topic just by giving me frosting, why is it such a surprise?” Roxas asked, setting his pen down.

“Honestly? I thought it was just another hook-up.” Sora said sheepishly, keeping his eyes on the bowl in front of him rather than facing Roxas and his potential wrath. Roxas’ dating history wasn’t exactly glowing, nor was it particularly extensive. He’d never really found someone he’d actually enjoyed spending time with, though he was only human so while he didn’t have any luck with making an emotional connection, using an app to meet some guy that was interested in the physical aspect had become a much easier feat. He eventually gave up on the apps, finding the guys either too pushy and annoying, or just plain creepy, and just stuck to meeting guys in bars. He completely understood Sora’s confusion, but it was just fun to play into the image he’d crafted for himself.

“Relax, I get it.” Roxas murmured, picking his pen up again. “But this isn’t really a date. I’m heading into the office in a bit, then once I’m done, I’m meeting Axel at the bar, he’s apparently only covering a shift so we’re gonna get ice-cream.” Roxas explained, quickly realising how much of a date that sounded. It’s not that he didn’t _want_ to date Axel, or he found it abhorrent that someone would think he was, it just didn’t really feel like dating just yet. He didn’t have a great frame of reference, sure, but it felt much too casual, and frankly, he really liked that. No pressure, getting to spend time with a fun guy, and god, the _sex_ , that was always good.

“That sounds adorable.” Sora deadpanned, completely serious in his evaluation of Roxas’ not-date. “Wait, bar?” It was almost comical, watching Sora turn to face him, gears so clearly turning in his head. “Oh! Axel’s the guy that works at the Usual Place!” Roxas couldn’t help but snicker, shaking his head as he took his glasses off, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

“Oh yeah, he mentioned he saw you there a few times.” Roxas said casually, grinning a little as Sora crossed his arms over his chest.

“I’ve been trying to remember that for like a week! You’re evil.” Sora huffed, turning back to his muffin batter. After pouring the batter into individual cases, the brunet put the soon-to-be delicious muffins in the oven. “Does he like me?” Sora asked curiously, tilting his head to the side. Roxas raised an eyebrow, giving Sora a fairly unreadable look, which prompted him to continue. “Not like _that_ , just, does he like me?” Sora reiterated.

“Sora, not everyone has to like you.” Roxas pointed out.

“I know that.” Sora defended, pouting a little.

“He did say you seemed really nice, just that you two hadn’t talked properly.” Roxas said. The actual word Axel had used had been ‘puppy’, and he assumed he meant it in a nice way. Better to go with that anyway.

“Yes!” Pulling his fist down in a celebratory gesture, he turned to properly look at Roxas, cheeks going pink. “Shut up.”

Roxas rolled his eyes, putting his glasses back on. “I really do worry about you.” Roxas murmured, scribbling out a note he had made during a class he really hadn’t been paying attention to. With Sora more interested in pushing past his desire for everyone to like him, Roxas was given free reign over his studies, managing to burn through a significant amount of his essay preparations, and even got some of it written up before his phone buzzed, alerting him to the fact he needed to get ready for work. “Alright, I should probably go get ready. You’re gonna be in tonight, right?” Roxas asked.

“Yeah, I have class early tomorrow, once I’m done here I’ve got some write up to do.” Sora said, starting to clean up the various ingredients he had gathered out of the cupboards.

“Alright, well I shouldn’t be out for too long.” Roxas assured, closing his laptop down.

“Heading to his place?” Sora asked with a smile that should’ve been seen as innocent, but Roxas knew him far too well.

“And what is that supposed to mean, my dearest friend?” Roxas asked, setting the loose notes on top of the laptop, sandwiching them with his notebook.

“Oh, don’t act coy, don’t you remember what you subjected me to on Sunday?” Sora asked, wiping his hands on the front of his apron. Roxas crossed his arms over his chest, holding the laptop and notes against himself as he stood.

Roxas let out a drawn-out sigh, knowing exactly what he was talking about. By the time Roxas had woken up on Sunday morning, Axel was gone, something they’d agreed on during their coffee break, and Sora was stood in his bedroom, very obviously judging the fact his floor was covered in clothing, and to Roxas’ utter horror, expertly tied but poorly thrown condoms. “For the last time, I thought I threw it better.” Roxas said, wanting more than anything to just forget that Sora of all people had noticed it before he had. In his defence, after Axel left, he could barely walk, he didn’t even escort him out of the house, just passed out in bed.

Axel could have robbed them blind and he’d have been too far gone to give a shit.

“At least that wasn’t my introduction to your new boyfriend.” Sora said, smile breaking through as he shooed Roxas towards the bedroom so he wouldn’t be late.

“He’s not my boyfriend!” Roxas called as he made his way off towards his room. He almost slipped, let himself say yet. It’s not like they hadn’t talked about it, Axel had indicated he’d be up for making their relationship a little more solid, it wasn’t a request by any stretch, they hadn’t been _that_ specific about their discussion. Roxas always skirted around the topic, while Axel seemed to always bumble into the topic before quickly finding something else to talk about.

Roxas would have been more than happy to give it a go with the redhead, but he knew Axel was a shoe in for the internship at the firm, and the idea of dating someone he had to work with filled him with a hard to place sense of anxiety. Plus, he was sure Leon would crucify Axel if he found out. Leon was an old family friend, he would probably show some lenience towards him, but Axel was new blood. Roxas would feel awful if he’d managed to get Axel fired for his libido.

After tucking his laptop away in his desk alongside the rest of notes, he quickly got dressed, forsaking his comfortable plaid pyjama pants and loose bed shirt for his regular job attire. Well-fitting black slacks, a plain black dress shirt and tie, and the glasses he almost never took off. He’d been prescribed them in high school specifically for reading and using bright LED screens, his eyesight had been struggling, especially with the amount of reading he would do as a teenager, so his optician thought it’d be best to use them as a preventative measure and keep him from needing them at all times. After getting a job working in front of a computer screen and reading files all day, the glasses became a permanent feature. He always meant to go visit the optician and get a professional opinion, but time was never on his side.

Once he was ready, Roxas made his way out of the apartment, shouting goodbye to Sora on his way.

~

“Good try, but wrong.” The voice was dry, bordering on utterly devoid of interest, and Axel could really relate. His face was currently being cradled in his hands, the only thing stopping him from dropping face first into the desk below and falling asleep. His professor was the type to pick out people to ask based entirely on how ready they were to answer. It had been an excruciating half an hour of Professor Clarke picking on the students who had _clearly_ not done the reading they needed to do.

“Kill me.” Axel mumbled under his breath as the professor latched onto the next victim. The question was simple, but without the right reading, near impossible. They’d all been given a handful of cases and were expected to give the professor a strategy for defending the defendant. This case was one of the three that Axel had _actually_ read up on, out of the list of ten, and he was cursing his bad luck that he wasn’t getting asked.

Maybe he looked so miserable and near sleep that he’d get asked sometime soon. It was almost ten minutes of a fellow student grasping for answers before Professor Clarke stopped them. “No. Okay, Mr Lea? Will you be able to tell your classmates why they’ve been wrong in their strategies?” He asked.

Axel perked up, standing up out of his seat when he was called on. It was an outdated practice, but law professors seemed obsessed with having their students stand to deliver their ideas. “They’re trying to get the case thrown out, it won’t work. The best defence is having the defendant take the stand.” Axel said. Professor Clarke raised an eyebrow, setting his notes down at his desk.

“You’d put the defendant on the stand? You’re supposed to try and avoid that.” He said with a broken attempt at humour, eliciting a few weak chuckles from students, either out of pity or sheer boredom.

“The prosecution was staunch on their deal, a pay-out of ten million from the client, or they go to court. The client was a CEO that hated the idea of paying out a penny, so the case _had_ to go to court. The best defence would have been attacking the prosecution for their bias against the company the client owned.” Axel explained his reasoning, spotting the crooked smile on Professor Clarke’s face.

“If your classmates had done what they’d been told to do, they would have known that. That, everyone, is the importance of _actually_ reading your notes.” He announced as Axel sunk back into his seat. If he’d been asked about the other seven cases, he’d be in the exact same situation his classmates had been in, so he was hardly going to feel that haughty over the fact he’d gotten lucky. A few more minutes passed before their lecture ended, and Axel quickly pushed himself out of his seat, filtering out alongside the rest of the class, none feeling too eager to stick around.

He was, for lack of better words, exhausted. It was Thursday, and Aerith had yet to call to confirm anything, or let him down gently. He hadn’t been sleeping that well, and classes had been kicking his ass, significantly ramping up. The only thing pushing him forward was the fact he could have a quick nap at home before he was due at the bar. He was meeting up with Roxas after the short shift he was due to cover, another thing to look forward to.

“Hey, Axel!” He grimaced a little, before turning, his most charming smile taking over.

“Larxene, oh, and Marluxia.” He commented as the pair approached him. “To what do I owe this pleasure?” He asked, not bothering to avoid letting his sarcasm slip. They were friends in the loosest sense of the word, and he’d long since given up on pretending they were anything closer.

Marluxia was a mere few centimetres taller than he was, billowing pink hair more akin to a mess of petals than hair, ruffled and fashionably messy. His face was devastatingly handsome, but Axel knew him well enough to know that his beauty was only skin deep. Snide, sarcastic, and occasionally cruel, he was less than enjoyable to be around, unless there was enough drink, or Marluxia was feeling particularly nice. The photography student raised an eyebrow, smiling.

“Come now Axel, we don’t always want a favour.” Marluxia said, voice as soothing as the scent of rose, with all the barb of the stem.

“Though this time, we do.” Larxene was far shorter than her partner in crime, her vivid green eyes boring into him. Her blonde hair was slicked back, looking almost sticky to the touch, two distinctive antennae-like strands of hair that folded back over her head. If Roxas’ hair was golden, hers was closer to yellow paint left out to dry.

“Alright, spit it out.” Axel said simply, gesturing around him. The corridor was bustling, people moving from class to class, to a place they could study, or running home to be free of the stuffy building.

“We just need access to the law section of the library next week.” Larxene said breezily, her smile near acidic.

“Neither of you are law students.” Axel deadpanned. Larxene studied… Something, he wanted to say biology, but truthfully, he couldn’t remember. He didn’t really like having to listen to either of them.

“We have a bunch of reading to do, and your side of the library has a better selection of books.” Marluxia said simply.

“Yeah, of law books.” Axel sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Y’know what, fine. I’ll need to head in and study next week anyway, just meet me outside whenever. You’re not supposed to be in there, so at least try and be subtle, okay?” Axel was growing tired of the conversation, and realistically, even if he were going to get in trouble, it wouldn’t be that much for letting a few students into the library. Really, he just wanted to be free of talking to Marluxia and Larxene. He vaguely recognized that the pair thanked him, but he’d already given a half-hearted wave, turning on his heel to escape their company.

His day barrelled forward much faster once he was free of the university, and after a few hours, his shift at the bar was winding down. The Usual Place was, for all intents and purposes, pretty much unknown to most. When the bistro opened in centre of the city all those years ago, and various other eateries and bars cropped up around it, smaller bars centred on local music and good drinks fell to the wayside. It worked for Axel, the bar was frequented by a regular crowd, there weren’t too many fights or altercations where he had to step in, and even the busiest times were manageable.

Axel immediately perked up at the sight of blonde tufts, bobbing through the crowd towards him. Roxas slid his way onto the stool in front of him, flashing a quick smile. “Do I get a free drink for knowing the bartender?”

“No can do, blondie, you’re dealing with ‘work Axel’ right now.” Axel grinned nonetheless, pouring Roxas a shot of vodka. The blonde grumbled and fished his wallet out, handing him over a note.

“Looks like you’re paying for ice-cream then.” Roxas pointed out, accepting the small shot glass, knocking back the drink quickly, grimacing at the burn that soaked his tongue.

“That was my plan anyway.” Axel said with a light chuckle, quickly dealing with another customer before returning to his place in front of Roxas. The shorter man handed back the glass.

“I gave you enough for two, right?” Roxas asked.

“You did indeed, how bad was work?” Axel quizzed, catching the grimace that graced Roxas’ face.

“I swear, if I have to think about a filing system again tonight, I’m gonna ram the ice-cream stick _right_ into my eye.” There was no hint of a joke in Roxas’ tone. Axel paused halfway through pouring his drink, adding a little extra to his glass before handing it over.

“I promise you, I’ll steer you clear of any filing cabinets.” Axel assured, leaning down against the bar, admiring Roxas’ dress sense. Unlike their last few meetings, Roxas seemed to have had time to go and change. He was wearing a simple grey button down shirt, though his short sleeves had a chequerboard pattern, matching the black and white rings he wore, the first on his pointer finger, the second on his middle finger. Simple black jeans and a belt finished off his look, and Axel couldn’t help but appreciate the simplicity of it.

“Thank you, I…” Roxas paused, squinting up at Axel. “Are you wearing eyeliner?” He asked curiously, reaching up to cup Axel’s cheek, brushing his thumb under Axel’s eye. The redhead raised an eyebrow, watching Roxas quickly pull his hand away.

“I am. I’d go with winged eyeliner and make myself look even better, but I’m surprised I haven’t jabbed myself in the eye yet.” Axel grinned down at him. “I’ll keep it subtle for now.”

Roxas’ cheeks had gone fairly pink at, what he assumed, Roxas had realized was a bit of an overstep in their currently unquantifiable relationship.

“It looks good.” Roxas said, smiling a little. Axel didn’t tend to use eyeliner unless he was at work, it was always fun to watch people try and figure out if he was wearing it or not, and how not subtle they were about their staring.

“Good news for me.” They continued to chat back and forth as Axel finished up his shift, leaving from behind the bar once his replacement had arrived. Roxas set down his third drink of the night, standing up out of his seat as he approached. “Now we’re free.” Axel said with a light chuckle, gesturing off to the door. He could vaguely hear Roxas’ grumble of relief, thanking Axel before heading out the door with Axel tow.

“So, you said you know a good place?” Roxas asked, glancing up at him.

“Well, not a place exactly. A cart that sells these incredible ice-creams, its up by the clock tower.” He said, nodding towards the path climbing up. The pair travelled up the well-lit streets, various small shops glowing out towards them, neon tendrils trying to grasp at them and pull them inside. Axel easily avoided the temptation to shop, simply glancing into a few of the windows, most already shut up for the night. They reached the peak of the cobbled hill they’d scaled, the entrance to Station Heights sat to their left, a railing that peered down at the lower part of Twilight Town on their right. By the end of the plain courtyard, a simple ice-cream stand, an unassuming youth stood behind it, looking incredibly disinterested with the work they were being subjected to.

Axel bought two, one for him and one for Roxas, handing over some cash in return, before retreating back to Roxas’ side.

“Sea salt? For an ice-cream?” Roxas asked, taking the offered treat in his hands, peering down at it. If his words hadn’t shown his disbelief, the look sure did.

“Just trust me, it’s actually good. It’s like salted caramel, it just stops it from being too sweet.” Axel said, ripping off the wrapper before tossing it into a nearby bin, taking a confident bite out of the pale blue ice, repressing a shiver as the cold struck.

Roxas unwrapped the packaging, leaning down to sniff at the innocuous bar of ice. He took a bite before raising an eyebrow, looking up at Axel. “Huh, nowhere near as salty as I was expecting, and just the right amount of sweet.” Roxas seemed to be praising the treat rather than Axel’s incredible taste in ice-cream, but he could work past that.

“Always trust my gut, it never leads ya wrong.” Axel said, signature grin on display as they got to talking, leaning against the railings that kept them from dropping to the city below. Midway through a conversation about whether or not Roxas could convince Sora to find out the recipe for sea salt ice-cream and mass produce it, Axel’s phone rang. He quickly apologised, answering the unsaved number, giving his usual greeting.

“Axel?” Aerith’s voice. His stomach dropped.

“Hi Aerith, nice to speak with you again.” Roxas went rigid, almost dropping his ice-cream. He managed to catch it in both hands, face scrunching up as his hands got drenched in the syrupy mess that had begun melting. It took all his willpower not to laugh, though the pit in his stomach helped with that.

“I’m sorry I’m calling so late; things have been hectic.” It was all she was willing to say on the matter, it seemed, as she launched into his interview. It was hard to listen, his nerves mounting, swirling and threatening to take hold, until he heard her congratulations, that she’d look forward to seeing him on Monday.

“Aerith, thank you so much, I’ll see you Monday.” His confidence was back and better than ever as he hung up the phone, smile so wide it almost hurt. Roxas seemed to match that smile as he reached over, wrapping an arm around his chest, careful not to touch him with his ice-cream covered hands, giving him an awkward, but much appreciated side hug.

“Congrats big guy, welcome to hell.” Despite it obviously being a joke, Axel believed him wholeheartedly.

“Great to be here.” Axel agreed with a chuckle, leaning down, intent on a kiss. It wasn’t just Roxas freezing up that stopped him, he quickly remembered, this wasn’t just Roxas, that sassy receptionist anymore. This was Roxas, the sassy receptionist at the law firm he was interning at.

Their eyes met, and he could tell Roxas was thinking the same thing. He pulled away, clearing his throat.

“We should talk about this.” Roxas said, and Axel nodded his agreement. Taking a path down from the clocktower, they found a bench along the way, taking their respective seats.

“Roxas, I like you. I don’t know how far that goes yet, but I know I like hanging out with you, at the very least.” Axel started, looking down at Roxas.

The blonde paused, as if he were deliberating on what to say. Axel sort of wished he’d taken the time to do that, but at least one of them was using their head. He opened his mouth, before closing again. Axel had to stifle a snicker behind his hand as Roxas scowled.

“Listen, I don’t know how much I like you yet Axel, but we’ve had some good times just hanging out as friends, right? Leon is an old family friend, so I know him pretty well, he won’t be happy with us if he finds out we’re fooling around while we’re both working for him.” Roxas explained, before quickly saving a drop of sea salt ice-cream that was about to melt off.

“That makes sense. I guess this came at a good time, we can just stick to being friends.” Axel said, managing a smile. He was disappointed, for sure, he felt like he could definitely see himself dating Roxas, but his future had to come first.

Roxas didn’t seem enthused at the idea either, but he gave a nod, and offered out his sticky, ice-cream-soaked hand. Axel grimaced, eliciting a laugh from the blonde. “Friends?” Roxas asked.

He sighed, grasping his hand gently, shaking it.

“Friends.” Axel agreed. They could do this.

~

Roxas flopped back down against the bed, sweat dripping down his chest, the pleasant burn of alcohol on his lips. He ran a hand through his hair, looking over to his side. Axel was busy tying up a condom, tossing it into the trash with much better accuracy than Roxas had done, before he too flopped down against the bed.

“We are, without a doubt, the _worst_ friends in existence.” Roxas confirmed, tucking his hands behind his head.

“We lasted like what, three hours?” Axel asked, reaching over to the bedside table for the bottle of vodka they’d taken with them. They had met up with Demyx and his boyfriend Zexion, purely by accident at a bar near the clocktower, after agreeing to share a drink then part ways for the night. Thankfully, both of them seemed like they had no intention of going home early, he’d been introduced as Axel’s friend and colleague, much to Demyx’s dismay.

For a complete stranger, Demyx was very nice, a bit full on, but nice. His boyfriend was much more muted and truthfully, someone Roxas could see himself getting on with. He was sure he’d seen the other man before, and after discovering he was a literature student, minoring in various language studies, Roxas realized he recognised him from the library, he seemed to be a permanent addition the building whenever Roxas went visiting for books. Zexion didn’t seem like the type to expect small talk if they crossed paths, and that worked fine for Roxas, he could happily count him among his acquaintances with minimal effort.

“I don’t even think it was three hours.” Roxas admitted, sighing a little. He glanced over as Axel took a swig, shaking his head at the offered bottle before it was set aside. “What do we do?” He asked.

Axel thought for a moment, before rolling onto his side, facing Roxas. “You can fuck me this time?” Humour bled through his words, and Roxas dished out his best withering look.

“You know what I meant.” He said, disliking the huffiness in his own voice, but finding it difficult to avoid it.

“I know, I know.” He said, chuckling softly. He felt Axel’s arms slide forward, looping under his back, the other draped over his chest. “If we can’t deny our own incredible sexual chemistry,” Axel began, laughing a little at the glare he received. “Then, I guess we just keep this a secret. We won’t date, dangerous putting that kinda emotional weight on it. We can just… Keep hanging out, as friends, you still owe me a round of you whooping my ass at a game of your choosing.” Axel pointed out. Roxas couldn’t help but laugh, remembering back to their time at the movies. Roxas had bragged that he could beat Axel at any game after they’d passed an arcade, something that Axel seemed eager to test out.

“Good memory.” Roxas commented, rolling onto his side to mimic Axel, looping an arm around his neck as he rested a hand on Axel’s side. “And our seeming inability to stay out of bed?” He quizzed.

“Getting to that.” Axel scolded jokingly, before nodding. “We just have this on the side, keep it under wraps and make sure no one finds out.” Axel offered, searching for an answer in Roxas’ face. He liked the prospect of getting to have Axel in his bed more often, and liked the prospect of not getting him fired even more, but the idea of lying to his friends wasn’t something he looked forward to. It’s not that he didn’t trust Sora, or Naminé, or Hayner.

Well, Hayner would definitely let it slip.

He just couldn’t risk it if that was the route they were going to take. “For now, I think it’s for the best. Who know, maybe I’ll get sick of your ass after a month.” Roxas made sure to put enough humour into his barb to let Axel know it was a joke, leaning up to press a light kiss to his lips.

“Not possible, my ass is top tier, in case you’ve forgotten.” Axel’s grin grew wider, returning the kiss.

Roxas snorted, rolling himself over so he was straddled on top of Axel, hands resting down against his chest. “Oh yeah? Guess you’ll have to refresh my memory.” Roxas said, nodding towards the side of the bed. “Bend over.” He instructed, watching Axel’s heart visibly skip a beat.

He definitely couldn’t give this up just yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As much as I love Marluxia, I've gotta write him as a bastard, it's just my duty. Also I do actually like Larxene a little, but Axel hates her, and that's that right now. Thanks for all the support on this fic, you're all wonderful!


	5. Change of Pace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a longer chapter today, mainly to try and set up some side character background like the Destiny Trio and the Twilight Gang, I'm tempted to give them some focus in the fic too but I'm not sure. I have a helluva lot of scenarios planned out and written down, it's just connecting them together is the fun part. (fun)

The low murmur of conversation that didn’t concern him was all he could really focus on, replacing the low hum of the desktop tower tucked beneath his desk. He wasn’t eavesdropping, per se, just found it much more interesting than a court transcript. Just out of sight, but well within earshot, Yuffie and Aerith were in deep conversation with Squall Leonhart. Axel had made a few joking remarks about his grouchy handsomeness, only to Roxas of course. It was mainly to see his nose scrunch up in distaste.

He was tall, broad, with a deceptively pretty face, an unruly mop of brown hair that looked like it had been messed up stylishly, a scar running across his nose in a diagonal slice, going from above his right eye to below his left. If it weren’t for his, as Roxas put it, ‘resting bitch face’, he’d likely get much more attention, from women and men alike. Leon had a ruthless reputation, most people recognized his face when they saw it, so it was usually fear rather than attraction that sprung to mind.

The door to the offices creaked open, and as if he were back in high school, getting caught slacking, he quickly got back to work. His work, as an intern anyway, meant sorting through court transcripts to file them away, going over old cases. He ensured that the transcript matched up with the case he was working on, before printing both off. After a week of working like this, he had come to understand Roxas’ hatred of filing.

The office was basically revamping their entire filing system, and while the lawyers handled going through everything, Roxas was the one left with sorting out the old, apparently diabolical filing system, and replacing almost ten years’ worth of court records with the new, much better kept versions that Axel and his fellow intern were working on.

“Coffee’s here.” Roxas’ voice cut through the conversation he was listening in on, so he pushed himself up from his desk, his legs feeling fairly numb from hours sat at his desk. It wasn’t his dream exactly, but he knew starting as an intern meant grunt work. He strode across to the desk at the middle of the room where Roxas had left their drinks, smiling a little.

“Thanks, Rox.” Axel gave his friendliest smile, well-practiced. It was a lot more difficult than Axel had expected to keep their lives separate when it came to work, Axel always felt himself on the precipice of mentioning something that would rumble them, or reaching over to brush a strand of hair from his face, anything that would give Leon enough of a reason to fire him, or cover up his murder.

“No problem.” Work Roxas was out in full force, a curt nod was all he gave away as he turned on his heel, heading back out to the front. Yuffie rushed to his side, scooping up her mochaccino as if it was a long-lost pet, sighing happily as she hastily sipped on it, ignoring the scald. From what he knew of Yuffie, she had two drinks, hot chocolate for slow days, mochaccino for days where she needed a bump in caffeine without forsaking sweetness.

“Wow, you got a nod out of him new guy, you guys might as well be best friends.” Yuffie’s grin was infectious as she nudged his arm with her elbow, before taking another sip.

“You sure about that? Kinda looks like he wants to kill anything that moves, myself included.” Axel joked. Lying about their relationship did come easy, it was his subconscious instincts that almost ruined their cover most times.

“Nah, he’s a softie really! Just don’t tell him I said that, ‘kay?” She asked, laughing a little as she retreated back to her desk, her conversation on an upcoming court case apparently fizzled to nothing.

“Lips are sealed.” He called over, cracking open the lid of his cappuccino, the steamy hit of caffeine reinvigorating him already. Luxord approached the table, picking up his iced tea carefully, eyeing Axel carefully.

He’d seen the platinum blonde man in a few of his law classes, but he’d never properly interacted with him outside of the office for the past week. His most striking features were his variety of piercings, two looped helix piercings on either ear, and an oddly shaped earring on his lobe, which seemed to swap between left and right on a whim depending on the day Axel saw him.

His eyes were electric blue, intense and calculating, but he didn’t really get an overly competitive vibe from the other man. They shared a sense of fellow-internship camaraderie, something Axel welcomed. It made life a little easier in a new office. They’d gone to lunch together a few times, and even engaged in a few ‘friendly’ games of cards. _That_ was where he got the sense of competition from, Luxord had trounced him, brutally. He never wanted to face the man in an actual poker match, he really didn’t have that much money to lose.

“I’m just about done with my workload for today mate, you?” He asked. Unlike Axel’s manufactured politeness to Roxas, in the hopes of keeping them under wraps, Luxord just seemed genuinely polite, like the type of person to tell you to go fuck yourself while still sounding like the Queen.

“Thankfully, I just printed off the last of my batch.” Axel said, giving a smile as he sipped his drink, before securing the lid back over the top.

“Ah, Axel, good to hear.” Aerith’s voice drifted over as she convened on the table with Leon in tow. “If you’re just about done, could you take the files I have on my desk through with you? Ask Roxas to put them in the new cabinet.” She told him as Leon hovered by the table.

He didn’t often get orders, but whenever cases started piling up, he always ordered the same, ridiculously strong coffee with no milk. It made Axel’s skin crawl to even think about drinking coffee black, let alone the kind of strength Leon requested. Axel liked his drinks with some sweetness, and was sure Leon had a hipflask somewhere in his office to make that nightmare in a cup a little more tolerable.

Axel redirected his attention, nodding. “Of course, will do.” He said. Grunt work really didn’t bother him all that much, and he was sure his playful complaining would no doubt garner a look of disapproval from Leon. He wasn’t entirely sure he could survive that.

He returned to his desk, packing up his stuff for the day, slinging his satchel over his shoulder before scooping up the transcript he’d printed off, arranging it in a folder with the details of the case, setting it atop a pile of similar folders he’d spent the day working on. Once they were secure in his hand, he approached Aerith’s desk, tucking her casefiles under his arm. It wasn’t exactly an easy feat, but he’d managed it.

“Thanks Axel, good work today.” She called over as he nodded, giving an attempt at a wave with the hand holding onto his coffee as he made his way out into reception. He set his drink down on the desk before moving behind, approaching the door to the small office guarded by the firm’s adorable blonde guard dog. He’d never call Roxas that to his face, of course, he valued his life.

The door to the filing office was cracked open a touch so he pushed it aside. Any words he’d planned to say had dried up. Roxas was down on his knees, grumbling to himself, a filing cabinet drawer opened out between his legs as he hefted out old, poorly put together case files. That was likely his pile for tomorrow, and he wanted to complain at the sheer amount of work he’d have to do, but he was far too distracted. Roxas slid the drawer shut, hips lifting a touch as his position shifted, grey slacks pulled taut across his arse, leaving little to Axel’s rampant imagination. This was almost too unfair.

“Uh, Roxas.” Axel managed.

“Fuck!” Said blonde almost jumped out of his skin, the filing case rattling as he nudged against it. Thankfully, no catastrophic spillage. “Learn to knock!” Roxas snapped, and he could tell that was an actual snap, and not something to help him stay in character. He had already realized it was Axel, and had already softened his stony exterior.

“Heh, sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” Axel assured, brandishing his pair of casefiles.

“It’s fine.” Roxas breathed out, shaking his head. He looked back, seeming to follow Axel’s laser focus, before rolling his eyes. “Ahem, files?” He asked, sounding less than amused.

“Shit, uh.” Axel shook his head, moving to crouch down next to Roxas, handing him the work he’d done today. “Here, and this pile is Aerith’s, she said to put it in the new cabinet.”

Roxas let a smile slip past, nodding a little. “Got it, thanks.” Roxas accepted the first pile, quickly finding the most recent part of their filing system that had been replaced, slotting the offered files in, before shutting it, getting up off the ground. Axel made for the door before feeling Roxas’ hand against his bicep, stopping him. He glanced back, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah?” He asked.

“Sora’s gonna be out all of today, he’s apparently made enough dinner to feed an army and left some for me. Fancy coming over?” His voice had dropped to a murmur, eyes gazing up at him, as if looking for hesitation. Discussions about their current situation were usually avoided, especially at work, it was easy to dodge when they had more pressing matters at hand, like getting off.

“Sounds good.” Axel nodded, smiling a little. He ignored how much of a date it sounded, doing his best to focus on what it _actually_ was. They were going to eat some excellent food, probably watch some TV, and then spend the evening having mind-blowing sex. It was like visiting a best friend to hang out, but with more dick. At least, that’s what he told himself.

“Great, come over around six.” Roxas said quietly, before getting back to work. Axel nodded, for no one’s benefit but his own as he retreated out of the small office, picking up his coffee. He glanced up at the clock, noticing it was just past four. He nodded to himself and took a step outside, glancing back up at the firm with a small smile, starting off down the street, sipping at his coffee before it went cold.

As an intern, he usually arrived at the office around eleven alongside Luxord, and they’d work from there to around one in the afternoon, they’d have a half hour lunch and then work through whatever they had left for the afternoon. If they finished early, they left early. It was a much looser schedule than he’d expected, but Leon had explained that his interns were almost always law students, and he understood the strain that took.

It was a surprise, honestly, he’d half expected to be working nine to five every weekday, and even weekends when necessary, but Leon was pretty damn lenient. He was starting to understand why Aerith had said he was a good person, she was right.

Axel had managed to structure his time at the office with his classes and bar schedule, it was full on, and most nights he’d arrive home to collapse and do no more, but it was working. His classes all got started at nine in the morning, aside from one he had on Monday between three and five, totalling to five classes a week. He was blissfully free of school and the law firm on Fridays, so that was his designated catch up day, he’d work on coursework, pester Roxas at work, and do his best to take it easy before work. He’d had to cut back on time at the bar, working Wednesday to Saturday for a few hours at a time.

Demyx had been worried that he had too much on his plate, but he’d managed to assuage his fears. It turned out that despite the initial stress of his situation, getting a routine set up so rigidly had helped him get things in order. He’d been in touch with his mum a bit more, and she’d started sending care packages of food she knew he liked and some cash on the side to keep him afloat, which he had tried to deny repeatedly to no avail. He was actually getting assignments done faster, he was just way more tired, but it was a small price to pay.

After crossing the road, he jogged his way down the steps, feeling his phone buzz. His heart skipped a beat, expecting Roxas. His cheeks burned a little at the fact he’d been so excited by it, fishing his phone out of his slacks. His eyes narrowed, quickly deflating from his prior excitement.

_[Pink Fuck: 16:13] Hey Ax, when are you going to be at the library studying?_

Axel grumbled, eyeing Marluxia’s text with disdain. Whenever Marluxia wanted a favour, it was either something completely innocuous and time wasting, or something that could get him in major trouble. He was leaning towards the latter.

_[Axel: 16:14] I’ll be there tomorrow, round about one, I won’t be there long so don’t make me wait_

The only reason Axel’s texts were halfway coherent was thanks to autocorrect, he actually sort of missed using his old piece of shit phone that never tried to censor his inability to type on a phone with any sense of decorum.

He tucked his phone away after Marluxia’s simple thanks came through, not bothering to respond to it. They were friends through circumstance after high school, so he tended to avoid spending too much time with them outside of university. He knew them too well to enjoy their company that much. Dumping his coffee into a nearby bin, he jogged his way up the stairs of his apartment block, finding his keys in one of the many pouches on his bag.

He had just under two hours to get ready for a dinner with Roxas, excitement mounting. If he had any sense, he’d have recognized just what that excitement meant.

~

With a triumphant, pyrrhic sigh, Roxas flopped back against the floor of the filing office. With Axel and Luxord working through their old records at impressive speed, he had to try and keep all of the cases in their correct order while he got rid of the old ones. He was going to be hearing a paper shredder in his nightmares, he could already tell.

He eventually stood. Every single surface in the cramped room of filing cabinets was covered in files, marked with brightly coloured post it notes displaying the month, colours corresponding to years. Aerith had looked upon his filing kingdom with reverent horror. She had always appreciated how neat and tidy he was, especially with filing, but the upheaval was tough, and keeping it even vaguely in order was a challenge.

She’d offered to have Axel or Luxord slow down on their sorting and instead work in the office with him to ensure that they shift things over faster, but he politely; if not hastily, declined. He had nothing against Luxord, he seemed nice enough, but he had a very specific system going on, and the idea of a pile of cases going in the wrong cabinet made his skin itch. And with Axel, that was a much simpler reason.

It had only been a week of their friends-with-benefits situation, and it was working for the most part. Roxas did his best to keep himself natural, or at least natural for his work self, and that was going fine. Outside of work, they’d been spending time together whenever they had free time, texting when they didn’t. However…

Everything they seemed to do led to sex.

A visit to Axel’s for movies? The film was quickly forgotten and Roxas was between his legs in minutes.

Axel comes to his place to study? They’d end up making out for hours, before ending the night sweaty and content.

Even their texting was becoming more suggestive, or even just straight up debauched. Seeing a picture of Axel in one of the cubicles at work with his slacks around his ankles had almost killed Roxas, and that was just Wednesday.

He didn’t _dislike_ this, of course. He’d never had that high a libido, even when he was using ‘dating’ apps, his hook ups were infrequent enough to be considered healthy, at least in his own mind. With Axel, it was like a switch had been flicked on in his head, and everything he did had a connotation. A coy smile would send heat travelling south as easily as Axel flashing would.

Everything the redhead did was so mind-numbingly, infuriatingly enticing, and he knew for a fact that half of them weren’t even on purpose. His mind drifted back to earlier, Axel’s eyes so very clearly looking where they weren’t supposed to. It took every single fibre of his being not to just lock the door and let Axel have his way. He was glad to have been surrounded by the monotony of his filing system, he’d managed to will his erection away quickly enough after Axel had left.

Stretching his arms up over his head with a quiet grunt, he closed over one of the cabinets, leaving the various files in their temporary homes all over the floor, cabinets and the small desk. It was just past five, and he’d managed to spend almost the entire day in the records office, still feeling like he’d made no headway. He shuffled out into reception, locking the door to the office behind him. He dropped the key into the reception desk’s top drawer, gathering up his things.

Murmurs grew to clearer words as Aerith and Leon emerged from the hallway, chatting amongst each other, something about an upcoming case. They noticed Roxas, their quiet conspiring shifting to smiles.

“I thought you’d be gone by now.” Aerith smile hid a hint of worry, which managed to bleed through in her tone.

“Don’t work yourself to death.” Leon’s voice was stern, but since he’d known him for almost ten years, he could notice the subtle caring in his words.

“I’m fine, honestly, it’s still a warzone in there so hopefully I can clear some of it up tomorrow, ready for next week.” Axel and Luxord both had Friday off, so he was going to have everything sorted out and ready for the next wave of replacements on Monday.

“Well luckily we don’t need you to work the weekend, you can finally get some rest.” Aerith said with a fond smile. Images of an Axel filled weekend flashed through his mind and he resisted the urge to tell Aerith he’d be getting no such rest.

“I appreciate it.” Roxas settled on, smiling a little as he gathered up his things, slipping past them and out the door. He waved them off, sharing goodbyes as Leon locked up.

“Be safe.” Leon called over, as close to affection as Leon would display in public.

Sora had text him earlier, telling him about his monthly sleepover party with Riku and Kairi. Roxas remembered it well enough that Sora didn’t actually have to tell him every time, but the brunet was a creature of habit, and Roxas rarely ever griped about the update. When they were younger, he’d been invited along to them, it was mainly just watching movies while pigging out on various sweets until they all fell asleep. It had been years since this tradition had started, but Roxas really doubted much had changed.

Other than Sora and Riku making oblivious lovey dovey eyes at each other half the time. He really did salute Kairi and her apparent infinite patience.

He’d quickly stopped attending them around the start of high school, finding that time on his own was much better. He very obviously wasn’t that close to Riku, and while Kairi and him shared a friendship, it was very clear that they were _Sora’s_ friends, not his. That didn’t stop him from enjoying his time with Sora when he was around, and besides, he’d found his own friends during high school, people he meshed with better.

Their groups had merged somewhat, or to put it better, they all became at least acquaintances with one another. Sora, being Sora, got on well with everyone in his friend group, whereas Riku had found friendship in Naminé and Hayner. Naminé was quiet and thoughtful, which seemed to match his moody silences perfectly. That was sort of unfair, but after years of those opinions, he just rolled with it. Hayner’s competitiveness apparently reminded him of a young Sora, so they got on well enough. He thankfully, didn’t dislike anyone in the group, they’d left their childish drama behind in high school, namely the rivalry between Xion and Riku.

Kairi, like Sora, had managed to get on with virtually everyone in the group, and spent a majority of the time with Olette, Naminé and Xion whenever the groups merged to hang out. It was a rarity, sure, but Roxas did find some enjoyment in it all.

He checked his phone, responding to a few of the incoming messages he’d received during work, Xion discussing their coursework for class, Naminé sharing one of her most recent folio pieces in their group chat, and Hayner’s plans for a beach trip on the dying breaths of summer. They had all been basically snowed under during their summer break, and with winter fast approaching, they hadn’t managed to visit the beach at all, so they were making last minute attempts to go during an upcoming weekend.

Roxas shared his opinion on the class work, keeping his grouching to a minimum, knowing that Xion was struggling with the workload too. He left a late word of praise in the group chat for Naminé about her piece, a beautiful rendition of the clock tower in town, impressionist in style, splashes of colour clashing against one another almost jarringly to act like lines, capturing the distinct shape of the tower. He responded to Hayner last, letting him know that he’d be free for the trip if it went ahead next week, he’d apparently been rounding up decisions from everyone all day.

He wouldn’t really need to convince Aerith to give him the weekend off, she’d already displayed how guilty she felt for having him work overtime so that was one problem solved. Once he got home, he kicked his shoes off, setting his bag down on the couch.

True to form, Sora had left a casserole dish on the kitchen table, hastily wrapped in tinfoil, with a note on top. ‘ _Put it in for half an hour at 200, I’ll do washing up when I get home x’_. Roxas smiled down at the note, lifting it off the dish. It was just past half five, so he hefted the casserole dish into his hands, moving it to the oven, setting it up top while he preheated the oven. He’d been forced to pick up some cooking knowledge considering Sora would scold him whenever he ignored recipe instructions like ‘preheat the oven’ or ‘chop finely’. There was a reason he wasn’t a culinary student.

Roxas gathered up some plates and cutlery, setting them on the table before wracking his brain to try and remember what kind of stew Sora had made. He was pretty sure it was spicy, with chicken rather than beef and gravy, so he grabbed some rice from the cupboard, washing enough for two before filling a pan with water. Sora had _repeatedly_ told him that the absorption method for cooking rice worked better, and was how he should cook rice, but he had a sieve, he could just drain it.

He was pretty sure Sora had called him a philistine after he defended himself with that logic, which was surprising enough consider he was sure Sora had no idea what the word actually meant.

With ten minutes left before Axel was due to arrive, he added the rice to the pan, turning to face the kitchen. Absentmindedly, he considered candles, before his brain screeched to a halt. The offer had been so casual that Roxas hadn’t thought ahead to the implications. They’d had dinner together in the time since they settled on friends with benefits, but that was usually takeaway with Demyx and Zexion present at Axel’s place, or a quick bite on the move before they retreated back to one of their apartments.

They’d also hung out, just normally, usually with a hint of the benefits side of their relationship, but they had managed to work friends fairly well too. This was the first time they were sharing a proper meal together, alone, like they had done on their first date. Roxas shook his head free of whatever fear and worry was building up in his chest. Axel would have protested if this felt too romantic. Or maybe it wasn’t romantic at all, and Roxas was just putting too much stock into his own thoughts. He swallowed, trying to clear his own head.

“Just friends. Friends who fuck.” Roxas told himself, managing to get a smile from himself at the ridiculous scenario.

Within moments, there was a series of loud knocks against the apartment door. Already knowing who it was, he slid it open, glancing up, his eyes meeting jade green.

“Hey.” A fairly simple greeting, more direct than Axel tended to be. Axel swept in, gathering his arms around Roxas’ waist, pulling him into a kiss. Kicking the door shut behind him, Roxas couldn’t help but melt into the embrace. It was softer, more familiar. He told himself it was just them getting used to each other, but his thoughts from earlier resurfaced. Ugly panic boiled away inside his head until Axel’s hands dipped down, both taking a particularly eager squeeze of his ass.

It was odd, usually getting groped without warning would’ve caused him to at least punch someone. At least. The grope only managed to relax Roxas, who quickly hooked his arms around Axel’s shoulders, letting out a muffled grunt against Axel’s lips as the kiss went deeper. After a moment, he pulled back. Not discouraged in the slightest, Axel went straight to his neck, lips and teeth finding purchase as low as he could get without ripping Roxas’ shirt off.

“Mm, Axel, dinner?” He reminded, the scent of spices filling the apartment as the stew continued to cook.

“You sure I can’t just eat you instead?” Axel asked, biting down gently against his neck, sucking a dark red mark into his skin.

“Cannibalism is both illegal, and a turn off, sorry.” Roxas murmured, rolling his eyes as Axel chuckled against his skin, pulling off reluctantly.

“Fine, fine.” Axel teased, standing up straight. “I guess I can work with food, especially if it smells so good.” He said, leaning in for a quick kiss before pulling away properly, approaching the table.

Roxas couldn’t supress his smile, something he found personally irritating. He wasn’t the type to smile so much, it hurt his cheeks to be so mirthful, especially with the amount he seemed to do it around Axel. He really was struggling here.

“I’ll make sure to let Sora know.” He said, moving to the oven. The rice was still bubbling away violently, so he used a fork to taste some of the rice, happy that it was basically ready. With that in mind, he crouched down, oven mitts on as he removed the casserole from the oven. Mildly surprised, Axel moved to his side, taking the boiling pan of rice, pouring the water out through the sieve.

“So, what exactly are we eating? All I can tell is that it smells good, and spicy.” Axel commented, dishing out their rice evenly.

“Uhh… I wanna Basque chicken, but don’t take my word for that. Sora definitely told me, I just…” He trailed off, instead focusing on peeling the tinfoil off carefully. Steam billowed out, causing him to hiss as it hit his arm. He moved it quickly, frowning.

“Careful.” Axel sounded more concerned than he should’ve been, so Roxas nodded.

“It’s fine, don’t worry.” Roxas assured, picking up a spoon to carefully dish out the stew, large chunks of chicken thigh, peppers and onion mixed into a delicious smelling sauce.

“At least run it under some water.” Axel nodded towards the sink once Roxas had finished serving them. His arm was thankfully not that red, but it did sting a little, so he relented. He shuffled over, running the cold water, letting it help cool down his red arm.

“Why so worried?” Roxas asked curiously, but it felt too much like an accusation, so he continued before Axel could respond. “It’s not like I dunked my arm in boiling water.” He did his best to play it off as a joke, and Axel seemed to accept it. He’d taken both their bowls, sitting down at the table with them.

“I’ve had my fair share of burns before, mostly minor, just had it drummed into my head to be careful with burn care.” Axel explained with a chuckle, passing Roxas some cutlery when he’d sat down.

“How’d you manage to burn yourself so many times?” Roxas asked.

“Seriously? Just look at me.” Axel gestured to himself with a grin.

“Well I thought calling you an arsonist would just be rude.” He said, chuckling to himself as he tucked into their meal.

“I was a terror in high school.” Axel hummed, with unmistakable pride in his voice.

Roxas snorted in amusement, before taking a bite. He wasn’t in the least bit surprised that it was delicious, the chicken fell apart easily, and the sauce was perfectly spiced without being overpowering. Axel however, looked shocked.

“ _Whoa._ ” He said, covering his hand with his mouth as he ate. “Your roommate is seriously talented.” Axel said, before eating more. He was going to make a smart mouthed comment, but he was too distracted by food. The rest of their meal went by in a delicious blur, Roxas only stopped to pour them some wine, while Axel shared some anecdotes about his week that he hadn’t brought up yet.

Roxas’ prior worries about the overly romantic nature of their night together had managed to fade somewhat, they were simply hanging out, chatting and doing what they usually did.

~

Axel settled down between Roxas’ thighs, sighing happily. Having the blonde buck naked, a subtle blush spreading across his cheeks, legs spread apart and inviting, he really couldn’t complain.

After dinner, they’d lasted a while on the couch, watching some TV show that Axel couldn’t remember the name of, chatting about work, about university, cuddled up together. It didn’t take long for hands to wander, eyes meeting with a shared sense of desire.

Axel wrapped a hand around the base of Roxas’ shaft, his other hand sliding up his body, roaming the expanse of his body. He leaned down, wrapping his lips around the head, lapping his tongue along the underside as his lips squeezed around him. Roxas’ voice was reduced to a breathy moan, hands sliding into Axel’s hair, tugging gently.

Roxas’ fascination with his hair was nothing new, and the sting of pleasure that travelled down his spine whenever he tugged was more than welcome. He pulled off, kissing down the shaft carefully, humming to himself almost teasingly, before taking one of Roxas’ balls into his mouth, sucking slowly.

Roxas groaned, fingers loosening from their grip on his roots as he arched his back, pushing himself up to meet Axel’s ministrations.

“Rox! It’s me!” A voice announced itself loudly, followed by the door to the apartment shutting.

“Sora.” Roxas sat bolt upright, erection flagging as he looked to the door. Axel was already up and off of the bed, looking around. Part of him really didn’t care about being caught by a friend, but he knew it would just make things way more complicated than necessary.

“What do I do?” Axel whispered.

“I’m just in my room Sora!” Roxas called, and going by the look on his face, Axel was staring at him like he was mad. “Under the bed.” He whispered in return, kicking Axel’s clothes behind the door before diving back into bed, pulling the covers up over him.

With no choice but to comply, he supressed a grumble and quickly climbed under. Roxas let the end of the covers droop down a little to hopefully cover him, and he almost said thanks when the door creaked open.

“You’re in bed early, you okay?” Sora’s voice was laced with concern.

“Oh, yeah fine, just a little tired.” Roxas responded.

“You sure?” Sora asked. Not being able to see their faces was driving Axel insane.

“Mhm, your food was amazing by the way.” Roxas was definitely trying to throw him off.

“Oh yeah, about that. Why were there two plates out?” Axel cursed in his head. They were going to wash up _after_ the mind-blowing sex.

“Oh, uh…” Roxas paused. Axel’s heart was hammering in his chest, and he was half tempted to just climb out. “Axel was here.” The mention of his name gave him pause. “I knew we had too much food, so I invited him around for dinner. Just as friends, you know how Leon is.” His half chuckle made Axel wince. “You just missed him actually.”

There was a lingering silence.

“Oh Rox… You liked him, didn’t you?” In all his life, he didn’t think he’d ever heard someone with a more emphatic voice. The silence was longer this time, and he heard no response from Roxas. Whatever he missed; Sora continued anyway. “Well, I just came back for my phone charger. Riku and Kairi both have really weird adapters.” He explained. “I could stay, if you want.” Sora tacked on, worry returning to his voice.

“Don’t be silly, go have fun. I’ll be fine.” Roxas assured. “Oh, and Axel really liked your cooking.” Roxas told him.

He couldn’t quite see all of Sora, but he was pretty sure he’d thrown his arms up in a silent cheer. “Tell Axel he’s invited to dinner all the time from now on.” Sora announced. Axel decided to keep that tucked in the back of his head. Sora moved to leave the room.

“Hey?” There was a pause, Sora stopping in tracks, and then Roxas’ voice, quiet with an obvious smile on his lips. “Thanks, Sor.” Axel stayed underneath the bed for a few moments after Sora left the apartment, before rolling out with a relieved sigh.

Roxas appeared over the edge of the bed, gazing down at him with an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, I really didn’t expect him to show back up.” Roxas said quietly.

“So, you like me, huh?” Axel asked, grinning as he pushed up off the floor, catching Roxas’ lips in a swift kiss.

Roxas rolled his eyes but didn’t break away. Axel was the one to stop their kiss, getting up off the ground. Roxas’ eyes followed him up, quite enjoying the view from the looks of it.

Axel flopped down onto the bed next to Roxas, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

“I think I liked your last position better.” Roxas murmured, glancing over at him.

“You look a little…” Axel struggled to find the right words, so he settled for the more diplomatic option. “Are you okay?” He asked.

Roxas sighed a little, probably sensing that the mood had been shifted.

“I’m fine, it’s just… I hate lying to Sora. Anyone else, fine. But Sora’s just had my back through a lot.” He was intentionally vague, so Axel didn’t push. If he wanted to share, he would.

“I’m sorry Roxas, if… I guess if this keeps going, maybe we could tell him at some point? It’s just risky right now.” He said. Roxas nodded in agreement, leaning against him a touch, seeming to enjoy the contact.

“I know, don’t worry.” Roxas said. Another silence, but this one didn’t feel so heavy. Axel smiled, leaning over to kiss down Roxas’ jaw.

“How about I make you forget all about it?” Axel suggested, arm sliding down from his shoulder, his hand firmly groping at Roxas’ perky arse.

Roxas had to bury his face into Axel’s bicep to avoid laughing, rolling so he was pressed up against Axel, a gentle thrust of his hips telling Axel the mood wasn’t _totally_ ruined.

“You better.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a week in and they're already almost failing at their sneakiness, these poor boys. Thanks for all the comments and kudos, it really helps to keep me motivated so keep them coming! c:


	6. Bruised Knuckles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to do a more Axel-centric chapter today, and experiment with the flow of trying to cover multiple days in one go, so hopefully it didn't seem too disjointed! There's also a new tag to look out for, just as warning.

Axel was pissed. He didn’t tend to let negative emotions get to him, or at least, he tried his best not to. Putting that anger outwards was just something he didn’t enjoy doing, he’d prefer to keep that fire inside. Axel was far too passionate to allow that kind of anger out. As a kid, and even further as a teenager, he was always in trouble for fighting, enough so that his mother had to step in and beg him not to get in trouble. The fear in her eyes had been the wakeup call he needed, and he managed to rein himself in.

She’d also levelled with him that if he didn’t start to act like a regular human being, he’d never get into law school, which had helped a bit.

He gathered up his study material, stuffing it into his bag. He preferred studying at home truthfully, he’d visited the library to pick up some books for an upcoming assignment, and waited around for Marluxia to show up, but after an hour of the pink haired prick not showing up, he gave up. His patience could only stretch so far, after all.

Once he’d gathered up his things, he made his way to the door. There wasn’t anyone guarding the door, but to get into specific parts of the library, you needed to swipe your student card through a reader to get in. The amount of times he’d forgotten his card when he was in first year was far too often. Once out of the law section of the library, he caught sight of Marluxia, strolling over without a care in the world.

“Ah, Axel, there you are.” He spoke so casually that Axel was almost ready to punch him.

“You’re an hour late, I’m going home.” Axel responded dryly as he pushed towards the main doors.

“Could you at least open the door?” He asked, hand hooked around Axel’s elbow.

Axel’s glare was enough to make Marluxia release him. He walked back over to the door, swiping the card down through the reader before pushing it open. “Knock yourself out, if you get in shit, you’re on your own.” With his bad deed for the day done, he turned on his heel, leaving the building hastily. He had no interest in continuing to help Marluxia with whatever he was doing, and had even less interest in _knowing_ what he was doing.

After leaving the library, he returned home, texting Roxas on the way. With some time at the bar tonight, he wasn’t likely to see Roxas tonight, but hopefully their weekends would be better.

_[Roxas: 2:12] I’ve just finished lunch, can’t keep you entertained much longer_

Axel rolled his eyes, smiling a little. Even when he was ditching him, he had more fun talking to Roxas than Marluxia. A friend he knew for about two weeks over someone he’d known for years.

_[Axel: 2:13] You’re so cruel, how will I ever survive?_

Waiting for a lull in the traffic, he jogged across to the other side, plugging his headphones into his phone.

_[Roxas: 2:15] You’ll figure it out. I should get going, work never stops_

Axel smiled, thinking to himself before nodding.

_[Axel: 2:15] Think you’ll be free this weekend? Demyx should be spending some time at Zexion's on Sunday_

There was a lull in the conversation, he couldn’t tell if it was due to him getting busy or just finding it difficult to come up with a response.

_[Roxas: 2:19] I’ll wait and see, got some assignments to work on, but I might be able to squeeze some time in x_

Axel lingered on the kiss at the end of the text more so than he did the actual message, smiling a little. He’d seen the note Sora had left Roxas on the table, and assumed it had been an affectionate thing between friends, but maybe it was just Roxas’ affection in general. He chuckled to himself, doing his best not to grin like an idiot.

_[Axel: 2:20] Sounds good, just text me when you’re free x_

It had taken him a moment to properly commit to using the kiss in response, but he decided fuck it. Affection didn’t equate to feelings; they were just friends. Roxas and Sora were just friends and they used it. His traitorous brain reminded him that he and Sora had been friends since they were kids, so he turned his music up, trying in vain to silence those thoughts.

His weekend was quiet, all things considered, but he still had a great time. Usually, if Axel got bored, or had nothing to do, the hours stretched on and it was near insufferable, but after being so busy, quiet was a welcome change. He and Demyx had managed to find time to hang out for the first time in forever, weaving it in and out of coursework. Constitutional Law was a lot less mind-numbing with music to work to, even if that music did get interrupted by the occasional mumbling from Demyx that it didn’t work. Axel was a simple man, if it didn’t sound like caterwauling or pans being bashed together, he could probably listen to it. Telling Demyx that had somehow not convinced him that his assignment was A+ worthy just yet.

Saturday evening had been an entirely different scenario, yet still vaguely the same. Axel had taken a textbook with him to the bar, and whenever business slowed, he’d start working through it again. On stage, Demyx performed whatever he had been working on, or at least, the stuff he’d thought was good enough for the public to hear. Axel had joked that he was a guinea pig, but Demyx accepted the analogy so readily that it looked like his joke had hit the nail on the head.

The crowd seemed to eat up Demyx’s performance, if Axel was any more pessimistic about Demyx’s successes, he’d have blamed it on the copious amounts of alcohol going around. Truthfully, he enjoyed Demyx’s music more than he let on, it was relaxing and slow, not sombre or overly emotional, and the musician had all but mastered most of the instruments they kept around on stage, so he often changed up tempo when he swapped instrument.

During one of the slow moments while Axel had been lost deep in the intricacies of law pertaining to property, a girl had approached him. She had a kind face, a drunken smile and had clearly been put up to it by a group nearby, who were eyeing them both with rapt attention. Before she could get much further into her attempts, Axel had stopped her. Without much thought on the matter, he told her he had a boyfriend. It wasn’t the first time he’d used the excuse to avoid unwanted attention, though it was usually from lecherous old men who liked to call him ‘darling’, not sweet young women. She apologized profusely, and he brushed it off, assuring her he didn’t take much offence.

She rushed off, tail figuratively between her legs, and Axel was left with the implications. He _didn’t_ have a boyfriend. He had a Roxas. Even saying he had Roxas felt risky, too much like a connection that’d get them in trouble. He grumbled to himself, tucking a bill into the cash register before pouring himself a shot, knocking it back. He didn’t usually drink when he was working, but tonight was slow, he had someone else working the bar with him, and he really needed the Dutch courage to contend with thoughts of Roxas _and_ revision.

After Demyx’s set, he crashed down into the stool opposite him, sighing happily. “How’d I do?” It was a rhetorical question for the most part, Axel had already told him that he liked Demyx’s choice of songs before he went on, and the only time he’d ever seen Demyx mess up a performance was during a high school talent show, he’d strung his sitar way too tight and when he tried to play, they practically exploded off the instrument. Laughter aside, Demyx had managed to get it fixed and get a very respectable second place. Damn magic kid and his disappearing chicken.

“Incredibly. I’ve got at least fifteen talent scouts lined up outside, and a bunch of groupies asking when you’ll be at the celebratory orgy.” Axel’s dry response was met with Demyx’s eye roll. Getting flipped off by someone who still styled their hair into a mullet was an interesting experience, almost surreal. “You were great Dem, relax.” He tacked onto the end, smiling a little as he poured him some fruity concoction that almost knocked him out the first time he tried it.

“Was that so difficult?” He asked, reaching over the bar to steal a scoop of ice. Axel was apparently stingy with ice cubes, but Demyx liked his drinks ten percent liquid, ninety percent ice.

“Felt it, that’s for sure.” Axel hummed. Demyx was one of the few people who performed at the Usual Spot on a regular basis, Cid was a nice guy and basically had the blond on the payroll. It was hard to quantify, but there was a marked increase in the amount of drink people would buy when Demyx was performing, and the place would usually see a small surge in patrons when his performances were advertised outside the bar, so he got a cut whenever he got on stage. Most others would either do it for fun, or had similar deals with Cid.

“Who’s that?” Demyx asked, so Axel followed his eyes to the stage. A woman, not much younger than himself, probably a first year at the university had taken to the stage, sitting down at the keyboard.

“Another performer I guess.” Axel had shrugged, knowing Cid had scheduled a second act for the night, but the name escaped him. She had dark brown hair, almost black, cut into a short bob, her fringe sweeping right, with some tucked in behind her ear. Her outfit, Axel would’ve called it prep chic, a sleeveless black shirt, double buttoned up the middle, her collar done up properly, with a simple black belt around her waist. A white skirt stuck out from beneath the long shirt, reaching down just above her knees, while her black boots reached up just below the knee, the top of the boots a light beige.

“I like her outfit.” Demyx’s sincerity bled through, a wide smile on his face. When Demyx first started performing at the bar, Axel had been worried he’d get competitive with the other performers, but it was the complete opposite, he’d stop them after their set and chat away with them, asking them about their music, even buying them a drink. Some found it off-putting, others seemed to leap at the chance to talk with someone about it.

Axel gave her another once over before deciding he’d at least have to remember this one’s name, she seemed like the type to be too polite to refuse Demyx’s eager chatting.

“Agreed.” Axel murmured, smiling a little as he turned his attention back to his textbook. The mystery girl began her set strong, and despite the urge to keep reading, he had to stop and watch. Her voice was incredible, and she had clearly been playing for years, either that or she mastered her chose instrument in whatever timeframe she’d started from. Her voice had such a depth of emotion that even her more upbeat choices betrayed a subtle sadness, a longing gone unanswered. Axel had experienced a lot of heartache in his life, or at least by his measurements, but her singing made his experiences feel like a puddle proclaiming itself deep in the face of the oceans.

By the time she finished her set, Axel had managed to return to his reading, but he was only half paying attention, still stuck on the songs being performed. She was met with as much enthusiastic cheers and claps that Demyx had received, maybe even more. Far from jealous, Demyx was one of the people giving her a standing ovation. She approached the bar, much to Demyx’s silent fanboy delight, taking a seat, a stool between her and the barely contained bundle of praise.

“Could I have a rum and coke?” Unsurprisingly, her voice was a little hoarse, but it was clear to tell that her speaking voice was just as empathic as her singing.

“Coming right up.” Axel said with a nod, making himself busy.

“Your set was _incredible._ ” Demyx blurted out, beaming as he leaned against his sitar, ensuring he wouldn’t fall off his stool.

“I was going to say the same to you.” The brunette girl said with a sheepish chuckle, launching into a discussion over their respective song choices. Demyx’s had been a mix of covers and his own music, heavily leaning to originals, whereas the girl had done exclusively covers. Axel had recognized a majority of the songs, and enjoyed them enough to note them down mentally to buy.

Axel would drop in and out of the conversation too, juggling that with work, his textbook, and Roxas, who had started texting him with purely salacious intent. Axel defended his inability to drop everything and visit for a few rounds, that he had to work and keep Demyx from kidnapping a singer. The joke was simply met with a photo that he was relieved Demyx hadn’t been paying enough attention to see.

He’d almost dropped his phone, practically juggling it into the air to avoid it shattering, garnering the attention of the two. “Uh, sorry. Continue.” Axel said, grinning a little as he looked over the photo again. The angle indicated that he was holding the phone above his head, aimed down over his reclined body. Roxas was laid out against the bed, two journalism textbooks weighing his chest down, the rest of him completely naked. He had a pen between his middle and forefinger, feet flat against the bed, knees upwards and spread apart, a very obvious problem nestled between his thighs.

_[Axel: 21:57] You’re a cruel bastard, but I need the money_

Their interaction had been fairly teasing up until now, the photo had almost tempted him to throw caution to the wind and cut his shift short.

_[Roxas: 21:57] Nah, I’m rich, come suck me off and I’ll be your sugar daddy_

The text was punctuated with a stupid emoji that made Axel snort. Thankfully, Demyx and the girl were so busy talking about piano that he was free to focus elsewhere.

_[Axel: 21:58] First, I’m older than you, second, don’t tempt me, I’d make a fuckin’ awesome trophy husband_

Axel poured the pair a second set of drinks, offering up to the discussion when it shifted to singing. Demyx had mentioned that Axel could sing, but the extent of his abilities was managing to keep in key. Nonetheless, he talked anyway, laughing when the girl suggested they make a band.

_[Roxas: 22:00] I feel like daddy has definitely lost its meaning enough that I could be your sugar daddy_

Axel grinned a little at his text, shaking his head as he listened to the pair chat.

_[Axel: 22:01] You’re not gross enough or creepy enough, sorry. I can’t make it tonight, but I can see you Sunday to make it up to ya?_

He’d even added a winking emoji to spice up the offer. Roxas was quick to respond, calling him a party pooper before accepting Sunday, dramatically begrudging of course.

After another drink, the girl made her exit from the bar, telling the pair that she hoped they could talk again. Axel’s shift was coming to a close, so he put his textbook away.

“She was cool, right? I could do with more friends at university.” Demyx commented, getting up from his stool.

“Demyx, you have like, the most friends of anyone I know. It sounds fucking exhausting.” Axel said, before glancing at the spot the girl had been. “Uh, did we ask her name?” Axel asked, struggling to think. He had Roxas’ dick distracting him.

“Oh my god.” Demyx had already buried his face in his hands.

“We are the worst.” Axel said with a sigh, shaking his head.

“Maybe we can ask her next time she performs?” Demyx suggested, rather lamely.

“That won’t be awkward at all.” Axel murmured, but he was pretty sure they hadn’t given away names either, so maybe that’d make things less embarrassing. At least all three of them were stupid. “Come on, let’s get home, any more drink and I’ll have to carry you.” Axel murmured, making sure his colleague knew he was leaving before stepping out into the cool evening air with Demyx in tow.

Sunday, while not as productive as Saturday, was definitely more enjoyable. Roxas had apparently encouraged Sora to take a break from his studying, then supplied him with the idea to have a shopping trip, reminding him that Riku owed him time at the mall after Riku and Kairi tried to bake a cake, blind drunk, with Sora’s ingredients. This was almost three months ago, for Sora’s birthday party mind you, but Roxas had memory designed specifically for evil it seemed.

As Roxas eagerly regaled him with his plan, Axel slowly realized he’d entered a casual relationship with a master of manipulation. Not that he minded much, or could have scolded him for it, he’d been tucked between Roxas’ legs _while_ he was telling him this.

It was almost maddening how easily they meshed together, not just the sexual part of their relationship, but everything. They spoke to one another as if they’d known each other years, not weeks. Axel was painfully aware that he only really knew the bare minimum of Roxas, but even that was enough to make him want more. His internship was a year, but if he did well, he could secure a place at the firm throughout his education, and become a fully-fledged lawyer with a job waiting for him.

He often entertained the idea that Leon wouldn’t mind, if he saw how happy he made Roxas, but truthfully, he didn’t _know_ if he made Roxas happy. He liked to think he did, but it was a gamble he wasn’t willing to roll on. For now, he’d be happy with what they had. Maybe if things went well, he could transfer from Twilight Town to Hollow Bastion and convince Roxas to elope with him.

A loud buzz knocked him free of fanciful delusions, so he propped himself up on the bed, looking over at the bedside table. Roxas’ phone, aglow with a message flashing on the screen. He scooped it up as Roxas returned from the bathroom, holding it out to him. “Your mum.” He said. He hadn’t looked at the text, only caught the name on the screen.

For a moment, Roxas’ face showed discomfort, as if he’d been pulled into the spotlight unwillingly. It was over as soon as it started, and a sideways grin replaced his small frown.

“Spying on me already?” He asked, striding across the room to lift the offered phone out of Axel’s hand.

“It flashed up, relax.” Axel’s defence was exaggerated, slipping an arm around Roxas’ waist.

“I’ll respond later.” Roxas murmured, and for a moment, Axel wanted to push the topic, but Roxas had already moved past it, meeting his eyes with a look he knew all too well. “At least you're a sexy stalker.” Roxas hummed, more intent on settling into his lap, pushing him back down onto the bed.

“One look at that ass and I was hooked.” Axel replied, unapologetic as he laid back down, pulling Roxas down with him.

The rest of Sunday was spent comfortably with Roxas, until about half an hour before Sora was due home. Usually Axel would just leave, and Roxas seemed intent on keeping to routine, but he stopped him, offering to let him stay a while longer. Axel had taken study material with him, so after they’d cleaned up, they migrated to the couch.

They were in the middle of a very intense discussion on whether or not Axel could steal a cat and still manage to become a lawyer when Sora came through the door, laden with bags.

“Oh! Hi, it’s you!” Sora greeted, causing Roxas to slap his hand to his forehead.

“It’s me.” Axel agreed, smiling. “It’s nice to meet you properly Sora.” He said as Roxas got up to help him with the bags. They explained that Axel was helping out with coursework, while Axel steered Sora onto the situation of him wanting to steal one of his neighbour’s cats, it was too cute not to have.

“Oh, you totally should, cats are the best.” Sora agreed, much to Roxas’ dismay.

“See, he gets it.” Axel pointed out, grinning.

“Sora! You forgot… Oh, hey Axel.” Riku peeked his head around the door, carrying a bag of groceries in one hand.

“I’ll come get it!” Sora yelled, abandoning Roxas with the piles of shopping. Axel’s greeting got swallowed up in the chaos of trying to get the apartment back to normal, and by the end of it, he could safely call Sora a friend. Mainly because Sora had announced that they were now, officially friends.

Roxas looked as though he wanted to crawl under the table and die, so he did the responsible thing, and offered to walk with Riku, explaining that he’d overstayed his welcome anyway. In his head, becoming friends with Sora would help to hopefully make his ‘just friends’ situation with Roxas more believable, and would be able to explain times where he was with Roxas without him having to hide under a bed.

He and Riku spoke for a while until Riku reached his car, and Axel politely declined a ride back home, he needed to stop by a shop on the other side of town, and Riku had already spent enough money on fuel carting Sora around today.

The joke about Riku’s devotion to Sora had been met with an unimpressed glare.

All in all, the weekend had been one of the best he’d had since university had started up again, and it was yet another solidifying brick on the wall he was building in his head. His ‘I can be Roxas’ friend and not let feelings get in the way’ wall. He didn’t _like_ the wall; in fact, he’d probably smash it down in a heartbeat if Roxas indicated he wanted more. He just had to make sure that if this was as far as it went, he was ready for it. When Axel fell, he fell hard, and he could already see the signs. Better to fall with a parachute.

When he arrived at campus on Monday morning, he was met with the Dean’s right-hand man, a severe looking man that Axel had never learned the name of. He seemed to be no more than a trained guard dog, but he did his job impeccably. The fact that the Dean wanted to see him was cause enough for concern.

Escorted to his office, Axel stepped through the door. Of course, Marluxia was stood in front of the desk, looking more inconvenienced than guilty of anything. That usually meant he was guilty.

“Mr Lea.” Professor Ansem Dizier, a professor that, like him, came from Radiant Gardens, and helped to establish Twilight Town’s university, ended up becoming its’ Dean.

Axel stepped up to the front of the desk, keeping his eyes on the Dean. If Marluxia was dragging him into trouble, he was going to do his damn best to get out of it. This wasn’t high school anymore; he couldn’t brush off smuggling some beer into the bathrooms for he and Marluxia to share.

“Professor Dizier.” He intoned politely, keeping himself level.

“Do you know why you’re here?” Ansem asked, faded, burnished eyes gazing up at him critically.

Axel took a glance sidelong towards Marluxia. Infuriatingly aloof, he didn’t meet his gaze. “I let Marluxia into the law section of the library before I left on Friday, after he asked me to.” There were cameras, he knew that, he just didn’t think they’d be monitored so closely that someone could recognize Marluxia wasn’t a law student. There was no point in denying it. “I’m sorry, it was stupid and against the rules.” He didn’t feel any guilt in throwing the other man under the bus.

“Were you aware Marluxia was meeting someone in the library to purchase illegal substances?” Ansem asked, studying his face.

Axel turned to face Marluxia, furious that he couldn’t hold back the look of shock that had settled on his face. The look of betrayal.

For the first time, Marluxia caught his gaze, before rolling his eyes. “It’s not _that_ serious.” Marluxia defended, indifferent.

“You piece of shit.” Axel’s eyes narrowed to slits, words spat with disdain, and before Marluxia could offer some slick defence, he’d balled his hand up into a fist. He brought it across Marluxia’s jaw with enough strength to floor the taller man. It was the only thing that had managed to knock the mask of indifference from his face.

“Mr Lea, that’s enough!” Ansem’s guard dog was on him in seconds, holding him back. The initial punch had almost been enough for him, but implications kept hitting him. Marluxia had used him to buy something that could have gotten both of them arrested. The Dean hadn’t been specific, but he already knew what Marluxia was buying. He strained against the muscled arm against his chest as Marluxia surged from the floor. “Take Mr Lauer and get him out of here.” Ansem said.

His glorified personal shield stepped between the pair, wrapping his meaty hand around Marluxia’s bicep with ease, dragging him out of the room before he could retaliate.

“I’m sorry.” Axel wasn’t. He could already tell his knuckles would bruise. Glass jaw piece of shit.

“Mr Lea.” Ansem started. “Axel…” Axel managed to focus at the use of his first name. Ansem stood, sighing. “I am aware of your situation.” Axel had written his entrance essay on the unjust treatment of addicts and users of minor drugs in the prison system, argued the rehabilitation and treatment of people suffering addictions. He’d used his mother as inspiration. He’d worried she’d be hurt, that he’d dredge up her past, but she was so proud reading his essay she’d almost burst into tears.

He was surprised that Ansem remembered it.

“Still doesn’t justify punching him in the face?” He asked, more acidic than he’d meant it to be.

“I won’t be the one to judge that.” Ansem said simply, approaching the window. “Can you promise me that you had no idea what Mr Lauer was doing in the library on Friday?” He asked, glancing back at him.

“If I had known, big guy back there wouldn’t have been there to pull me off him on Friday.” Axel said quietly. Punching Marluxia wasn’t his best plan, but he just saw red. Marluxia _knew_ his past, his mother’s past. And he knew Marluxia, this wasn’t someone desperate for a hit on something they couldn’t control. Marluxia was in control, and he chose the path he stepped on because it seemed fun.

He was done trying to help Marluxia.

“For your sake, I’ll pretend you just promised me you didn’t know anything.” Despite the lack of humour in his voice, he could’ve laughed.

“I didn’t, honest, I had no idea what he wanted to do, I wouldn’t have helped if I did.” Axel said. Ansem studied his face for a moment, before nodding.

“Very well.” He said, returning to his seat.

“What happens to Marluxia?” Axel asked. He was devoid of worry, just pure curiosity at this point.

“Mr Lauer has no previous convictions on record, and his behaviour up until now has been spotless, but this is a serious matter. If you want a short answer, I don’t know. We’ll be exploring different possibilities. But I’ve kept you long enough, your class will be starting soon.” He gestured off to the door, and Axel nodded silently. He wouldn’t argue, he didn’t want to stick around for much longer.

Once out of the office, he saw Marluxia, grounded against a nearby chair, the steely gaze of Ansem’s assistant bearing down into him. Their eyes met, and Marluxia glared.

Axel did nothing. He simply turned on his heel and walked away, leaving the building before making his way across campus towards his lecture. Usually he’d take any excuse to get out of an early class, but right now, being bored to death was preferable.

Walking through the doors, he almost walked right into Roxas.

“Whoa, careful.” Roxas’ voice was playful, before he sobered up, raising an eyebrow. “Axel? What’s wrong?” Looks like he’d been wearing his emotions on his face way more than he was intending to. How the hell did Leon manage to look neutral all the damn time?

“Ah, dumb shit.” He brushed it off, glancing around. “Tell ya later? I’ve gotta get to class.” He gestured down the hall, feeling some guilt for avoiding a chance to chat to Roxas.

“You know, I do too, now that I think about it.” Roxas said with a chuckle, but nodded. “Oh, before you go.” Roxas piped up, making him pause. He couldn’t fight the small smile on his face.

“Yeah?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

“A bunch of us are going to the beach next week. Big train trip and all, Sora suggested I invite you.” Roxas seemed to hastily add the part about Sora on to the end, but he nodded nonetheless, grinning a little.

“I’ll have to find my speedos.” Axel hummed.

“You’re uninvited.” Roxas deadpanned, shaking his head as he took a step around Axel, making his way down the corridor as Axel laughed.

A day out with Roxas and his friends. He could handle that. Roxas in trunks? Less likely to handle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like the choice of surnames are mega cliche but fuck it, they'll do! A little cliche is fun.


	7. Sunshine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's the beach episode! It took me an age to get this written out, trying to figure out who would do what, and how the group would work, so hopefully it went well! I hope everyone enjoys c:

Axel climbed the steps of the station at Sunset Terrace, having taken his bike from the other side of the city. Roxas and his friends had decided to meet at the station for a variety of reasons, but Axel was sure it was purely to be a pain in the ass. He didn’t bother arguing, the only people from this group he knew were Roxas, Sora and Riku, and he actually wanted to make a good impression. It felt weird to care so much about the opinion of strangers, but with his actual friends quickly diminishing to Demyx and Roxas, with Zexion as a begrudging acquaintance, he could do with some more.

Deciding that Roxas’ threat of being uninvited could absolutely come true, Axel had relented, and chose not to pick out a pair of scandalous speedos, instead sticking with a pair of loose burgundy swimming trunks, long enough to work as regular shorts, and a black button up shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, the top three buttons undone to give himself some breathing room. He was never bothered by the heat, but even he would sweat under the sun in black.

As he rounded the corner, he was briefly taken aback by just how _many_ of them there were. After a quick headcount while he approached, he counted eight. They were almost naturally split in two, Roxas with three, and Sora with three. Roxas noticed him first, offering a wave before Sora caught sight.

“Axel! Right on time!” Sora beamed over at him, gesturing him over. It was hard to believe, considering everyone seemed to already be here.

“Nice to meet you all.” Axel felt a little awkward at the moment, with all eyes on him thanks to Sora’s outburst.

“Hey, you’re the guy who punched a dude in the Dean’s office!” One of Roxas’ group, a man around Roxas’ height with sandy brown hair, eyes wide as if he were reverent of the fact. Oh fuck.

“You _punched_ him? You told me you got him in trouble!” Roxas crossed his arms over his chest, eyes narrowed in his direction.

“He is technically in trouble.” Axel defended, glancing away as Roxas tried to control his volume.

“You’re the one who punched Marluxia?” He glanced over to Sora’s group, spotting the blonde who spoke, clad in a breezy white sundress, keeping in the shade with a wide brimmed sunhat. He was getting the feeling she didn’t take the heat well. She had a brief look of delight on her face, before suddenly going pink.

“Uh, do you just like violence?” Axel asked, eliciting some laughter from the group.

“I just really don’t like him.” She explained sheepishly. He was curious as to how the meek blonde woman knew someone like Marluxia, but he decided not to push it right now, maybe he’d learn at some point.

“You and me both.” Axel agreed, noticing the small smile she wore as the group erupted into various conversations. Roxas sidled up next to him, subtly jabbing him in the side with his elbow.

“You punched a dude right in front of the Dean?” Roxas asked quietly, gazing up at him with a disapproving look.

“I didn’t go in there planning to.” Axel murmured, scratching the back of his head as he avoided Roxas’ eyes.

“I can relate to wanting to punch a guy in the face, especially after what he did. But in front of the Dean?” Axel hadn’t exactly been fully truthful with Roxas, he told him what Marluxia had done, but not why he’d reacted so negatively. It’s not that he wanted to keep it a secret, or that he thought Roxas would think less of him or his life before Twilight Town, he just didn’t think it was the time to bring something that heavy up.

“I know Roxas, I know.” He assured, patting his shoulder lightly. Roxas was wearing a loose white tee, and simple black shorts, a satchel slung over his shoulder, filled to the brim with towels and other beach essentials.

“You better.” He murmured, before glancing to his side, to the staircase Axel had come from. “There you are, how do you _always_ manage to be the last one?” Axel followed his gaze, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, yeah, I know! I had to grab some snacks.” The dark-haired brunette from the bar last week, smiling as she approached. “Hey, bartender guy!” She said, grinning sheepishly.

“Hey, performer girl.” Axel replied, garnering a confused look from Roxas. “I’m Axel by the way, and my performer friend is Demyx. We kind of forgot to introduce ourselves last time we met.” Axel explained, both to Roxas and the girl.

“I’m Xion. Never would’ve guessed that _you’re_ Axel.” She said, offering her hand. Roxas gave her a look that could have easily translated to a death threat, and she simply smiled in return. Axel refrained from teasing Roxas about the fact he’d brought him up, and instead just shook her hand.

Behind them, the group called them over, the train was slowly crawling its way into the station, the rails suspended on concrete arches rising high above the town. The track led all the way out of town towards the nearby shore. Axel excused himself to quickly buy a ticket, Xion doing the same before they returned to the gathering. As they funnelled onto the train, Axel began to be introduced to the various people that made up Roxas and Sora’s friend groups.

Roxas’ group was made up of three close friends he had met starting high school, Hayner, Pence and Olette. Hayner had secured himself a scholarship at Twilight Town University for a regional form of sword fighting, something Axel didn’t even know existed, though Hayner was apparently a fairly proficient fencer too. The fact that he had no idea what Struggle was shocked the three, and even Roxas who apparently loved the sport. Hayner was primarily studying biology, with a keen interest in human biology. Axel could see himself getting on with the guy, competitive and upbeat, and maybe a little full on, but nice enough to be around.

Olette and Pence were both majoring in history, though Pence was focusing on local history and heritage while Olette was spreading out, looking at history in a broader sense, both seemed incredibly excited about their respective fields, talking to Axel about their current projects. Axel had loved history when he was in high school, so he was able to at least apply himself to some of the discussions they had. They both seemed sweeter than sugar, truth be told, and he was surprised someone as boisterous as Hayner, and as… Roxas-y as Roxas would make such good friends, but they seemed to meld together well.

Xion, he knew somewhat better than the rest of Roxas’ group, but he managed to learn some more on the trip to the beach, specifically that she and Roxas were majoring in the same thing, journalism, and shared a majority of classes together. She had moved to Twilight Town near the end of high school, and her and Roxas quickly became friends. Similarly to Sora, Xion had quickly pronounced them friends, nicknaming them ‘the outsiders’ as she and Axel had moved from elsewhere to come to Twilight Town.

Sora interrupted to point out that Riku, Kairi and himself weren’t local either, which Xion claimed didn’t count considering they’d all moved together, her and Axel were supposedly lone wolves. It had made Axel laugh, and he could see Roxas attempting not to snort in amusement.

With the conversation on track towards the Destiny Islands, he got properly introduced to the two girls in Sora and Riku’s side of the group, Naminé and Kairi. Despite Naminé being closer friends with Roxas, she and Kairi were cousins, and when the redheaded girl moved to Twilight Town with her family, she and Naminé quickly became inseparable. In fact, Kairi was even wearing a similar outfit, though instead of a full dress, she wore a faded pink crop top and a long multicoloured skirt of red hues around her hips, uneven in length, a red sash around her waist and various pink pouches attached to a belt beneath the sash. From what little he knew of the girls so far, Naminé seemed like the quieter of the two, reflected in her simple but sweet style and her mannerisms, while Kairi could easily keep up with Sora when it came to energy.

Axel seemed to be able to drop into conversation with any of the people he was around, some were more reserved, he noted that Naminé was much more soft spoken and considerate about her words, Olette seemed quiet until she was speaking about her passions, then it was like pouring oil on a flame, nothing could stop her. Some were naturally high octane, Sora and Hayner would chat away about anything they could think of, Roxas popping in to add a comment or two, while Riku watched on bemused. He could see certain parallels between the blonde and the silver haired man but considering the face Roxas had pulled when he told him he knew Riku, he decided to keep it to himself.

He had only been on the train with them for an hour, but he already felt more welcome here than he had with his previous friends. They were just so… _Fun_. There were no derisive comments, no hurling insults. There was light-hearted teasing, for sure, he’d even heard Naminé call out Xion on something innocuous and hilarious that had sent everyone into stitches. But there was no malice, just people who seemed to _genuinely_ care about each other.

Being friends with Marluxia and Larxene through high school, and various other people he’d thankfully managed to ditch when university came around, their time spent together consisted of drinking, bitching about people, bitching about each other, ‘lovingly’ pick apart each other’s insecurities as if that was a healthy thing for friends to do. Being surrounded by so much positivity, so much kindness, it almost made him queasy. His humour was a bit rougher than those around him, and he hesitated to talk his mind completely, but seeing Kairi erupt into laughter after he brought up Sora’ goo-goo eyes for Riku, he felt that maybe he was in a much better group of friends than he’d ever been during high school.

Riku looked like he was going to drag him out back and put him down, but he’d seen that face before.

Sora blushed as Kairi proclaimed she had told him so, along with half the train car. Axel quickly derailed the conversation, mentioning something abut work that had veered the topic onto how he and Roxas had met. Sora looked to him, mouthing a silent ‘thank you’ in his direction. In that moment, Axel quickly realized that Sora wasn’t so oblivious about his own feelings, just deathly afraid of them. The poor kid didn’t need even more pressure than he was likely already under when it came to Riku.

The train rolled to a stop as Axel stood. “I’ll regale you all with my excellent storytelling once we’re on the beach!” Axel announced over the chorus of groans, and Roxas’ amused snickering. The group flooded out of the open doors and onto the station.

Built with a similar sandy brick as the ones in Twilight Town, the station itself was connected to a road that linked Twilight Town to Hollow Bastion, albeit one of the longer routes. The cobbled paths lead them from the station onto the smooth, stone promenade, with various benches, potted plants and greenery, and an abundance of carts selling food and drinks. Nestled along the promenade, looking out over the perfect white sands, there were various buildings offering everything you could need for a great day at the beach, gift shops, restaurants, and even a rental shop for surfboards and beach equipment.

“Time to swim!” With a yell that almost shattered his eardrums, Sora had practically ripped his top off, satchel abandoned, before charging onto the sand before leaping into the water. Riku and Kairi looked between each other with a momentary look of exasperation, before grinning. Riku shrugged off his blue button up before charging after him.

“I’ll get us a spot by the water!” Kairi scooped up both Sora and Riku’s clothing with ease, then grabbed Sora’s satchel, probably filled with towels like Roxas’, and waved as she ran onto the sand after them.

“And we’ll get a spot a little further back.” Pence announced, brandishing a beach umbrella, while Olette and Hayner each carried a basket, full to the brim with a variety of different snacks.

“We’ll help, won’t we?” Naminé offered up her services, and the rest of the group seemed hard pressed to argue, so Axel offered to carry the umbrella as they trekked out onto the sand.

Roxas fell in at his side, satchel hanging off one shoulder as he unzipped it, picking out a variety of long towels to lay on the ground. Their eyes met, and Roxas just smiled. Nothing suggestive, nothing coy, just a smile. Unguarded and sweet, something he saw so rarely, and his heart just melted. It took all his willpower not to kiss him in that moment. He returned the smile, just as sincere as they slowed to a stop.

Axel hefted the umbrella up onto his shoulder as Pence helped him pick out the perfect spot.

“A little to the left.” Axel shuffled. “No, my left.” Axel grumbled, shuffling again. “Oh, actually, just a bit more right.” Axel gave him a look, hearing amused snickering from behind them. Pence scratched the back of his head sheepishly, offering up an apologetic smile as Axel staked the sand, making sure it dug in properly before opening it up, giving them some shade to gather around.

Roxas, Xion and Naminé got to work on laying out a variety of towels, three centred in the shade for whoever wanted to keep cool, and the rest circled around those, with both baskets of snacks and drinks sat within arms reach of most of the towels. Axel was impressed by the level of dedication to making the most of the beach, he’d only brought his towel, sunglasses, wallet and himself.

Olette and Hayner collapsed down into towels near the first basket while Naminé and Xion took two of the three towels with the best of the shade. Pence joined the two Twilight Town locals, while Roxas chose a towel between both groups, pulling out a tanning reflector, flicking it open with practiced ease. Axel sat himself down next to Roxas, taking his sunglasses out to slide on, laying down on his back as Roxas got comfortable next to him, shining some of the light from the sun up onto his face.

“Oh shit.” Axel sat back up, raking around in his bag until he found his sunscreen, sighing in relief. Roxas peeked an eye open, raising an eyebrow.

“You didn’t put any on before coming out?” He asked quietly, trying not to interrupt the murmur of conversation around them.

“Nah, I forgot, plus I tend to go overboard with it so my shirt would be wearing most of it.” He said, chuckling a little as he undid the rest of his buttons. He shrugged off the shirt, letting it pool around him as he squirted some sunscreen into his hands, slathering up his arms quickly.

“Hmm, that’s fair.” Roxas’ eyelids were like slits, trying to avoid the glare of the sunlight while very subtly raking his eyes over Axel. It wasn’t exactly subtle to Axel, who returned the look with a grin.

“Need to borrow these?” He quizzed, tapping his sunglasses. Roxas kept one hand on the reflector, reaching into his bag to procure his own shades, sliding them on. They shared an amused smile before Xion spoke.

“Weren’t you going to tell us all how you and Roxas properly met?” She asked, lowering a book she had started reading, laying on her front, arms resting atop it. Naminé peered up over a sketchbook she’d procured, raising an eyebrow.

“Should we not wait for the others?” Axel asked, gesturing off to the islanders who were busy having races in the water. Kairi had undone her skirt and taken off her crop top, swimming in a red two-piece bathing suit with the other two.

“They know.” Roxas said simply. “Sora’s nosy. And a blabbermouth.” He elaborated, eliciting some chuckles from the rest.

“Alright, well this all started about… Three weeks ago, I think.” He didn’t seem to pause for Roxas to correct him, soldiering on. “I was at the law firm for an interview.” Axel began.

“You were _late_ for your interview.” Roxas was quick to correct that part, however.

“Through no fault of my own, Aerith’s assistant didn’t give me the right time.” Axel defended.

“Assistant? That was Yuffie.” Roxas said with a snort, trying not to laugh too much.

“What?! But Yuffie’s so nice! And Aerith _definitely_ said assistant, I remember.” Axel said, frowning. Now that he thought about it, Aerith definitely didn’t have an assistant.

“Yeah, Yuffie’s awesome. Yuffie also lost a casefile for about a week by just putting it in a cupboard then forgetting, so…” Roxas trailed off, smiling up at him as the rest chuckled along. He’d have to do his best not to punch Yuffie in the shoulder next time he saw her.

“Well anyway, I missed my appointment. I turned up the charm, of course, and Roxas scheduled me a second interview out of the kindness of his heart.” Axel said.

There was some silence, before Roxas propped himself up, pulling his shades down enough to give the group a look, not even having to have seen them to know what they were doing. Each of them was looking at him with a hint of suspicion. “I am capable of being a nice person.” He said, clearly resisting the urge to shout.

“I did offer to take him to dinner if he got me another interview.” Axel interjected, grinning. The rest of them were quick to agree that made much more sense.

“Fuck all of you.” Roxas grumbled, exasperated as they all laughed. A subtle smile was on his lips, so Axel kept speaking.

“Roxas, being the kind and wonderful person that he is,” Axel started, appeasing the blonde who simply flipped him off, “was a great date, and we had a few more before I secured my internship. So now we’re just good friends and colleagues.” Axel explained, deciding to omit the almost obscene amount of sex they’d had before their ‘breakup’, and was definitely going to avoid bring up the obscene amount they’d had after it.

“And that is why Axel is the new favourite.” Roxas announced dryly.

“It’s good to see Roxas find someone that matches him so well.” Naminé said, smiling up at him as she returned to her sketches. From what he could see, her art was beautiful, even in sketch form, and as he’d learned on the train, she was majoring in art, and had joined the photography club, which had clued Axel in on how she knew Marluxia.

The compliment was oddly heartfelt, and Xion seemed to share in the sentiment. “Yeah, you’re a fun guy Axel. Oh, you should invite Demyx next time we go to the beach.” The brunette suggested. Axel had thought about it on the train, he’d get on with everyone, no doubts about that, and he could even offer to let Zexion come along. Whether or not the bookworm would actually want to come with them, that was an entirely different issue, but he was sure Demyx would convince him.

“Are you kidding? If I brought Demyx, I’d never get him out of the water.” Axel joked, grinning a little as he reached into the basket nearest them, picking up a bottle of water.

“He’d be in good company.” Olette said with a soft giggle, nodding over to the Destiny Islands trio, who had now taken to scouring the rocks that were only just visible out of the surface of the water, exploring the rockpools and occasionally splashing each other.

“That’s true.” Axel said, watching the group for a moment before laying back, hands tucked under his head. The conversations flowed over the top of him, but he was more than happy to simply relax. After such a long week, this was the exact thing he needed, hopefully having to go to the bar tonight for a shift wouldn’t be as bad after spending hours sunbathing and being a generally lazy human being.

The group chopped and changed throughout the day, at some point the Destiny Islands trio returned from their time in the water, joining in on the conversation, while Pence, Olette and would head up to the promenade to pick up more snacks and stretch their legs. At one point, Sora and Hayner started discussing Struggle again, and Hayner just so happened to take two spare training bats with him, so they had a mini tournament. Axel graciously bowed out after the first round, even against Sora who was the least knowledgeable about the sport, who had run circles around him and beat him within minutes.

Roxas was clearly doing his best not to laugh as Axel flopped back down onto the towel, grumbling about how Sora was oddly ferocious for being such a nice person.

“Sora makes my competitiveness look quaint; you were screwed from the get-go.” Roxas hummed, as if that were going to soothe Axel’s bruised ego.

“That makes me feel much better, thank you Roxas.” Axel replied sourly, not serious enough to be taken as actual grumpiness based on how he could hear Naminé giggling at their banter from under the umbrella.

“I’ll defend your honour, don’t worry.” Roxas pushed himself up off the towel, taking the discarded bat, twirling it around his hand with an over the top flourish, ruffling Axel’s hair as he went. Axel batted his hand away, chuckling a little. Overly confident Roxas was too cute for his own good.

After Xion and Riku’s match almost ended in a stalemate, Riku pulled out in front, just beating Xion. He helped her up afterwards, looking to Hayner for confirmation. As the reigning champ, and with a scholarship on his back, whoever won the tournament went on to face Hayner. Hayner agreed that it was close, but Xion had taken the most hits by a slim margin. The girl seemed as sour as Axel was, but admitted defeat, taking a seat near to Naminé but out in the sun, falling into casual conversation.

Axel studied the pair for a moment as Roxas had a match with Kairi. Xion was fairly laid back, he had noticed, but when she spoke with Naminé, she was more animated, exaggerated, her expressions bolder. He wondered for a moment, before he saw Naminé laugh, pure hearted and loud, at something Xion had said, unable to hide her smile. Xion seemed to just glow in that moment, as if validated in her ability to make the quiet one of the group light up. He chuckled to himself, looking back to the fight, leaving them to their discussion.

Kairi was quick on her feet, her flourishes and movements more impressive than he’d expected, able to counter each of Roxas’ strikes. He landed a few strikes but with each he gave, Kairi got a few in return. As Hayner blew his whistle, he announced Kairi as the winner, with a single hit between them. She cheered, ecstatic, and Roxas couldn’t help but grin, congratulating her. He could tell Roxas wanted to be grumpy, but it seemed difficult to be gloomy around Kairi.

“My honour thanks you Roxas.” Axel joked, standing up as he approached.

“Listen, those three grew up smacking each other with twigs for fun, I swear they were feral.” He huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I’ll actually believe that, Sora wasn’t exactly gentle.” Axel agreed, grinning a little as he nudged his head back towards the promenade. “Ice cream?” He suggested.

“You read my mind.” Roxas said, scooping up his wallet. Axel offered to pick some up for everyone else, but was met with a chorus of ‘no thanks’. Pence and Olette had returned with various snacks, Xion and Naminé were off to the waters edge to look for seashells now that the sun wasn’t right above them, and had drifted down somewhat, affording them a bit less blistering heat. The tournament goers hadn’t even reacted, so he assumed that was noes from them too.

~

Being beaten by Kairi hadn’t been that embarrassing, or that surprising, he hadn’t picked up a Struggle bat in years. Kairi had the energy to keep up with Sora _and_ Riku, he was sort of expecting a thrashing, all things considered.

“Hey, Rox?” Roxas glanced up at Axel as his feet met warm stone, scrunching his nose up. This was nowhere near as comfortable as in the sand.

“Yeah? What’s up?” He asked, soldiering on as he lifted his shades up off of his eyes, resting them on his forehead.

“Thanks for inviting me, this has actually been an amazing day.” Axel admitted. It was the first time they’d properly spent time together around friends, and truthfully, Roxas was terrified they wouldn’t get on. He’d only known Axel a few weeks, it’s not like he was going to abandon his lifelong friends for him, and obviously it didn’t matter so much what they thought about Axel, he’d still spend time with him. But after what Axel had told him, about Marluxia and what had happened on Monday, Roxas got a glimpse into Axel’s friends. Aside from Demyx, Roxas didn’t like the sounds of any of them. Knowing that Axel seemed to like his friends, and from what he’d seen, his friends liked Axel, a weight was lifted from his shoulders.

“It has been pretty brilliant. Good send off for summer.” Roxas murmured, smiling a little. A beach trip had become annual tradition for them, usually during the start of the summer when everyone was on break. He was just glad they hadn’t missed their opportunity.

“Ugh, don’t remind me. Halloween is fun, Christmas is fun, but the cold isn’t.” Axel grumbled, already shivering at the thought of it. Roxas snorted, rolling his eyes.

“The cold isn’t so bad. Means we get snow.” Roxas hummed. “And if you hate snow, you’re just not fun.” Roxas said, stopping by one of the various ice cream vendors lining the promenade, ordering them both a sea salt ice cream.

“Snow is fun, but then you have to stop being in the snow and you’re freezing and miserable.” Axel countered, accepting the stick of ice cream, tossing the wrapper in the bin, gesturing down the promenade for them to walk for a while before circling back.

“You’re just sad your eyeliner would get ruined.” Roxas said, grinning a little as he took a lick of the ice cream, challenging Axel to argue back.

“I think you like snow too much if you’re willing to roast me in its’ defence.” Axel commented, rolling his eyes as he started to eat. It was almost three in the afternoon, and while the sun was still hot as ever, it was still getting further down in the sky, eking towards the horizon.

“In my list of cool stuff, you just narrowly beat snow.” Roxas agreed, smiling a little as he flicked his tongue out to catch the dripping ice cream. Ever since Axel had introduced him to the flavour, he decided he’d never let it go to waste, and it was something he took very seriously. Having Axel watching him with a little too much attention to be friendly was a bonus. Roxas cleared his throat, making Axel look away.

“You can’t say a thing, you were checking me out earlier.” Axel pointed out, biting into the cold treat, seeming to savour the cool relief.

“You totally did that on purpose, that’s why.” Roxas said, nudging his hips with Axel’s, grinning up at him. Whether or not Axel had decided to slather himself in sunscreen for his benefit was a moot point, it was still fun to ogle him from behind sunglasses.

“Whatever you’ve gotta tell yourself, sweetcheeks.” Axel hummed. The nickname itself caused Roxas to snicker, doing his best to hide his amusement.

“Oh, shut up.” Roxas murmured, leaning up to pull Axel down into a quick, chaste kiss. He pulled away before it could evolve into anything more significant, returning back to his ice cream. Seeing Axel look around them nervously was enough to make him smile, though a hint of guilt set in. “Relax, no one here knows us, and we’re far enough away.” Roxas said, looking around them quickly.

Axel snapped out of his nerves, looking back at him. “Yeah, right.” He spoke quickly, glancing away. Roxas frowned, biting his bottom lip. He hadn’t really thought about the gesture, he just did it. Therein lay the problem, he really couldn’t let himself do things like that, even in relative safety. Axel’s future was on the line.

“I’m sorry, I should’ve thought. I just…” He didn’t have an excuse, trailing off. Well, he did, the excuse was that he had just wanted to kiss Axel in that moment. He had almost said it, but even thinking it just felt like he was trying to pressure Axel, when he completely understood why Axel would be so apprehensive.

“It’s fine Rox, you’re right.” Axel said, looking over at him. The smile, so reassuring, hurt him, made his guilt flare up, ugly and bright.

“I’m not, anyone could’ve come running to catch up to us.” Ice cream long since forgotten, he could see some dripping, out the corner of his eye, and it hurt his soul, but this was more important right now.

Axel paused, glancing back one more time, before nodding. “Well I forgive you then.” He said, then nodded to his hand. “Now quit letting your ice cream drip, I know you hate it.” Axel bit into his again, before smiling a little. That reassurance didn’t hurt quite as much.

Roxas managed a smile, quickly salvaging his ice cream, before suggesting they head back towards the group. Axel agreed readily, commenting that he hadn’t had a chance to hit the water yet, and he’d like to go exploring before they had to head back to the train. They didn’t have long, so once they’d both finished their ice creams, they got onto the sand, racing back to their friends.

The rest of the day went by a bit smoother, and while Roxas didn’t just forget about his earlier mistake, Axel didn’t seem to be dwelling on it, so Roxas felt a bit more comfortable with enjoying his time.

Xion had noticed however, and he had to quickly assure her that he was just feeling tired. Aside from Sora, Xion was probably his closest friend. Despite knowing her for the shortest time, other than Axel, they had become fast friends, and their shared love for journalism and all things leading to that when they were in high school, meant they’d become much closer than Roxas usually got with people he knew for such a short time.

She didn’t give the impression that she believed him that much, but she let him off either way. By the time everyone was packed up and ready to return to the train, Axel had a towel around his shoulders, and Roxas had just finished drying off his own hair. It’d take a hair dryer to regain some of the height his hair usually had, but everyone was too exhausted to give him any shit for it. Sora had won their Struggle tournament, and was promptly stomped by Hayner in a ‘friendly’ match, and the rest had lay out in the sun for so long they’d gone lethargic, like a bunch of big lazy house cats.

Roxas settled into his seat, a yawn escaping him as he leant back. Sora and Riku were chatting across the way, while Kairi, Naminé and Xion were huddled, inspecting the seashells Xion had found, while Naminé shared some of her sketches from the day. Hayner, Pence and Olette were already discussing next years beach trip, suggesting an overnight scenario using the nearby beach cabins that were soon opening for renting.

Axel had been invited during the middle of the discussion, and he simply raised a thumb, laying his head back against the train chairs, his other arm laid over his eyes, pretty much ready to pass out.

“Hey, Axel.” Roxas murmured softly.

“Mhm?” Axel lifted his arm just enough, tilting his head to the side to look at Roxas.

“I really am sorry about earlier.” He spoke quietly enough that no one really batted an eyelid, instead focused on their own discussions.

Axel’s smile was soft, a little sleepy but there was something there. Fondness? “It’s already forgotten, honestly.” Axel said, quiet to match Roxas. “If you keep worrying, I’m gonna have to do what I usually do to make you feel better.” Axel murmured, a small smirk on his lips.

Roxas could already feel heat on his face as he rolled his eyes. “I’m taking back all my apologies.” He deadpanned, fighting a smile as he nudged Axel in the ribs with his elbow, enough to make him groan in protest, smacking his arm away lazily.

Roxas got back to being comfortable in his seat, eyes moving to the window across from himself, staring out. The sky was painted a beautiful pinkish as the sun drifted closer to the horizon, the light stretching out towards them as the train rolled on. He caught Xion’s eye, her blue eyes reflecting in his own as he raised an eyebrow.

She just gave him a smile, something innocuous and simple, but knowing. He cursed himself as he glanced over at Axel quickly before meeting her eyes again, as if they were wearing matching shirts labelled with ‘We’re totally fucking’ on them. She’d already gone back to paying attention to Naminé, complimenting one of her landscape pieces. Roxas swallowed down nerves and instead lay his head back.

At least if Xion had figured it out, she wasn’t as much of a blabbermouth as Sora was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a real soft spot for the dumb fun in the sun stuff, and honestly I just wanted an excuse to surround Axel with nice people, he needs it


	8. A Night Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the break! Things are picking up, and I've been snowed under with different things to do, but hopefully I can get back to regular scheduling for the fic! A Roxas-centric one this time to start fleshing out more of his story, because there's some twists and turns to come and I wanna lay some groundwork! Hope you all enjoy!

Roxas swirled the colourful liquid around in his glass, watching the tacky red cocktail umbrella spin around as he did so. It was his third cocktail; Axel was purposefully giving him the weak shit. He wanted to be grouchy over it, but if he’d been given anything stronger, he’d probably be out in the alley throwing up whatever he’d put in so far. They had finally managed to copy over every casefile at the firm, a project that had taken almost a month of his life, and now that it was over, he was celebrating in the easiest way, drowning his numbed brain with sweet tasting alcohol.

He glanced up, eyes peering through the crowd to the bar, watching as Axel effortlessly twirled a cocktail mixer in one hand, chatting animatedly with someone at the bar. He couldn’t help but smile, shaking his head. Axel was like a different person when he was behind the bar. His charm was completely different, it was more alive and energetic, and it was fascinating to watch. Mainly because Roxas knew his other side, the other kind of charm he employed when they were alone.

Off to the right, Demyx was stood on stage, his singing was a perfect backdrop to Roxas’ alcohol drowning endeavours. It had been two weeks since the beach, and Axel had comfortably inserted himself into his friend group, something Roxas was both shocked and relieved at. He put the effort in to learn the rules of Struggle, and had started dragging Roxas along to practice in case they ever had another tournament, and was even spending time talking to Hayner about the sport. Roxas had to admit, it felt like he was a kid again, and even though he spent most of his time kicking Axel’s ass, it was still really fun.

Axel and Naminé had bonded over their shared dislike of Marluxia. Roxas didn’t even know the guy and he didn’t like him; he’d heard the name before from Naminé but had never put two and two together. A week ago, Axel had brought up his desire to get another tattoo, and Naminé, being Naminé, sketched up an idea from what he’d mentioned, a pair of circular tattoos for his wrists, red and silver pronged patterns. He’d immediately enthused over the designs and paid Naminé for her work, despite her protests that she didn’t need his money. The group had been telling Naminé that her art would easily sell for commissions and stuff like that, and Axel had unwittingly helped to confirm that.

Life with Axel still had the overbearing feeling of pressure, that one wrong step could risk them getting caught, or even worse, caught by someone at work. Roxas would often think that maybe it wasn’t worth it all, that Axel was putting so much on the line simply for fucking. That’s when his mind started to try and put two and two together, and that their relationship wasn’t just a case of them enjoying the fucking, it was much more than that. That thought alone terrified Roxas, because if their relationship was found out, it was going to hurt so much more to say goodbye. He knew, deep down, that he didn’t just like Axel for his body, but he really didn’t know how far that liking went.

He liked him enough to call him a close friend, but it wasn’t the same as his other friendships, for very obvious, inappropriate reasons. He was too afraid to even think the thought that came next. Maybe the cocktails weren’t as weak as he thought they were.

“Roxas?” A voice, behind him. He perked up, brushing his hair out of his eyes as he looked back. Aerith, a kind smile on her face, dressed in a simple red blouse and jeans, her signature bolero jacket covering her shoulders as she moved to sit down across from him.

“Oh, hey Aerith.” He said, smiling a little. His heart was racing a little, but he had to tell himself that knowing Axel outside of work wasn’t a crime, and Aerith was none the wiser.

“Trying to forget our lovely filing system?” She asked, an edge of teasing in her voice as she glanced towards the bar, likely to check how busy it was.

“Trying and failing.” He confirmed, chuckling a little as he lifted the cocktail umbrella out of the glass, finishing the alcohol that was left.

“Quite right, at least work’ll be back to normal now, for the most part anyway.” She tacked the last part on, seeming to be quietly concerned about something. She looked back, smiling. “Can I get you something?” She asked, gesturing to his now empty glass.

“Mm, if you insist, I’ll have whatever you’re having.” Roxas said, not really minding what he was drinking. Axel was going to be off work soon, and he wasn’t _too_ far gone just yet.

She nodded and made her way through the crowd towards the bar. He could just about see through the throng of people, seeing Aerith strike up a conversation with Axel once she reached the bar. He leaned his arms down against the table, sighing softly as the tension melted from his shoulders, relaxing himself a touch. Aerith was the last person he’d expected to see tonight, he was just glad he wasn’t hammered, that wouldn’t have been a fun time, for either of them.

After a few moments, she returned, two whiskey tumblers in hand, filled with some ice, returning to her seat. She offered up the glass, which Roxas accepted readily, thanking her.

“How are you doing Roxas? University is going well, I hope.” She said, taking a sip of her drink.

“Yeah, it’s been going okay so far, I’ve managed to keep on top of my assignments.” Roxas said, relieved that what he was saying was actually true, he and Xion had gotten together to work on their own respective projects, helping each other where they could. Even studying silently together helped him get through his work more efficiently.

“I’m glad to hear it, I know work has been quite full on lately.” She said. Aerith always apologised to him for the extra workload but he really didn’t mind that much.

“So why this bar? I haven’t seen you here before.” Roxas murmured, curious as to why Aerith would suddenly decide to visit the Usual Spot. And, something he wasn’t so eager to admit, he’d spent a lot of his nights here and would have definitely spotted Aerith.

“I’m here to meet a colleague actually, you remember Tifa, don’t you?” Aerith asked.

“Oh, Tifa’s coming? I haven’t seen her in years.” Roxas said softly, chuckling a little. She was head partner at the main firm back in Hollow Bastion, and basically ran the place single-handedly while Leon was working from Twilight Town. If Tifa was coming, something big was happening.

“Mhm, we have an important case coming up, and we need the extra manpower. Luckily, Tifa’s got a lot of people she can trust back in Hollow Bastion to keep things running.” Aerith murmured, a moment of silence passing between them before she leaned in. “I suppose I should ask, how’s Cloud?” Her face looked hopeful.

Cloud Strife, his older brother, and the reason he knew Tifa. They had been best friends in high school, and she was a family friend for life after putting up with him for so long.

“Your guess is as good as mine.” Roxas said with a light shrug. Cloud travelled, near constantly. He left almost ten years ago, and he hadn’t been back in Twilight Town permanently since. He missed him, undeniably, but the lack of communication had steadily grown into underlying resentment.

“He always was awful at keeping in touch.” She said, a soft laugh escaping. Aerith had been in the year above him when they were at school, and had always been close. The sadness in her eyes hurt more than his brother’s absence did.

“Last I heard, he was doing well. A few months back, just before summer started.” Roxas said, in the hopes that some news was better than no news.

She nodded, taking a sip from her drink. “Don’t worry Roxas, I’ll hear from him when I hear from him, it’s just his way.” Aerith often seemed to know Cloud better than he did, and he couldn’t really complain about that, he barely knew his brother, truthfully anyway.

Roxas glanced to the side, noticing Axel was finishing up for the night, deep in conversation with Demyx while he handed over to his replacement for the night. “If I hear from him, I’ll shout at him until he calls you.” Roxas promised, pushing up from the table, finishing off the glass of whiskey he’d been bought.

“I’ll hold you to that.” Aerith said with an amused smile, nodding to him. “Have a good night, I’ll see you Monday.” She said, waving him off as he retreated into the crowd, approaching the bar.

Axel stepped out from the bar, patting Demyx’s shoulder. “Believe me Dem, I forgive you.” Roxas raised an eyebrow as he moved closer.

“What’d you do Demyx?” Roxas asked, smiling a little.

“Oh, hey Roxas! Nothing bad, I promise.” He hummed, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

“We were going to spend the night out but Zexion has a cold, and Demyx is intent on playing nurse for the foreseeable.” Axel said, glancing to Roxas with a subtle smirk.

“Oh yeah, I saw Zexion on Friday, he looked miserable. Is he alright?” Roxas asked, avoiding Axel’s noticeable leer.

“He’s doing okay, but I feel bad for just leaving him alone like this, he lives alone, and he’s got no one to complain to.” Demyx said, and his smile was almost too sweet. It really was beggar’s belief that Demyx and Zexion were a couple, they were polar opposites. That being said, they were also sickly sweet together, Demyx was as loyal as a lovestruck puppy, and Zexion seemed to open up much more when he was with Demyx, more of his personality shone out.

“Well, you’re a good boyfriend for going to look after him, Axel’s gonna get over his hurt feelings eventually.” Roxas said, glancing to Axel with a small grin.

“Oh, will Axel? That’s good to hear.” Axel responded dryly, shaking his head. “Well, since Demyx is ditching me, you good to hang out for a while?” Axel asked, as if they hadn’t already planned this. Axel liked to point fingers and say that he was a mastermind at manipulating people, but Axel knew that Demyx would want to look after Zexion the second the slate haired young man started sniffling.

“Sure, I hope you’re ready to get your ass kicked at whatever game you’re feeling up for. Some fruity cocktails and a glass of whiskey aren’t gonna stop my skills.” Roxas boasted, a confident grin on his lips. He looked over to Demyx, who looked more amused than anything. “Oh, and great set tonight Dem, could you text me the song list you used?” Roxas asked.

“Thanks, Roxas! I’ll send it over sometime tomorrow.” Demyx assured, following the pair out of the crowd and into the cool air of Twilight Town’s evening gloom. Warm lights spilled down from the hill to Station Heights, and crawled up the walls eagerly from the steps leading down towards the city centre.

“You sure you don’t want a lift to Zexion’s? It’s no trouble.” Axel seemed to be reiterating on a past offer, which Demyx politely shot down.

“Nah, his place isn’t far, no need to worry. I should be back home at some point tomorrow to pick up my stuff, chances are I’ll stay over a few nights.” Demyx explained, heading down the steps.

“See you later, tell Zexion I hope he gets better soon!” Roxas called as Demyx withdrew down the stairs. Roxas was honestly a little surprised that he got on with Demyx so well, and Axel had asked him on at least two occasions if he was faking it. The first occasion hadn’t gone well, the second ended with Roxas smacking him hard enough to make his arm go numb.

It was true, he wasn’t brilliant at expressing himself, though much of that was a front he put up, but the rest of it was just a difficulty with putting his emotions out there. Growing close to people didn’t come easily, unless it was someone he really connected with. Demyx was just naturally likeable, and he was Axel’s roommate, so he put extra effort into their friendship. Only a fraction of that was due to the handiness of being able to play off why he was at their apartment a little easier.

“So, my place?” Axel’s voice dragged him out of his thoughts. His question didn’t sound _too_ suggestive, but it still fostered a warmth in his gut, apprehensive butterflies fluttering around inside. He’d been so stressed this past week, racing to get the filing system finished, he’d effectively scared Luxord into place when the platinum blond suggested they take it a bit slower; he’d bumped up the cases that he and Axel would be running through to try and get them done faster. Aerith knew better than to get involved with Roxas was when he was going organisation crazy.

“Sounds good to me.” Roxas agreed, smiling a little as he was led down the steps Demyx had taken, and within a minute or two, they were stood by Axel’s bike, both getting helmets secured before they climbed onto the steel beast. Roxas hadn’t had the chance to ride with Axel on his bike in a while, Axel had been cursing the thing every which way, complaining about it conking out every few miles. After getting it fixed this week, he seemed inseparable with it.

“Relax, I wasn’t the one to fix it.” Axel had probably seen the wary look he’d given the bike before climbing on. “Even if I could fix it, I wanted to be sure.” Axel murmured, rubbing one of the handlebars affectionately, as if he were calming a nervous horse.

“Just be careful.” Roxas murmured, arms wrapped tight around Axel’s waist. There was some silence, as if Axel was worried. He probably was, poor sap. Roxas loved bikes, and he loved the exhilarating feeling of being on one, but the idea of being on a faulty one made his stomach churn.

“I will, promise.” Axel’s voice was confident, not cocky, and he felt his hand, warm and comforting as it rubbed against his own.

Roxas rested his helmeted head against Axel’s back, cheek longing to feel the warmth that radiated off of Axel rather than the stuffy interior of the helmet. With a jolt, they were off, and Roxas tightened his grip a fraction. As they got out onto the open road, he managed to relax, still pressed up close against Axel’s back. The freeing feeling of being on a bike, paired with the pleasant rumble between his thighs was more than enough to take that pleasant heat in his gut a little further south.

As Axel slowed them to a stop outside his apartment, Roxas let out a sigh of relief. He wasn’t sure how long he could have dealt with an extremely uncomfortable erection in tight jeans. He pulled his helmet off with a sigh, pushing his hair back into its natural position above his forehead, tousling it enough to make it look casually messy as it usually did. He could feel the heat on his cheeks, which no doubt doubled when Axel gazed down at him.

“Quit staring.” He’d lost some of his confidence, painfully aware of the problem in his jeans as he stood up off the bike. Axel’s smile grew as he caught sight, and so did Roxas’ glower.

“Absolutely not.” He was gathered up in the taller man’s arms, tugging him back towards the door.

“And hands to yourself, we’re not exactly supposed to be all touchy feely outside.” Roxas’ resolve was slipping, especially as he felt Axel’s hands reach down to give his arse a quick squeeze.

“Relax, Rox.” Axel’s voice, smooth and low, and sweet like honey, with all the heat of a damn furnace, burning against his ear. The door was pushed open, with some difficulty from the redhead, and slammed shut behind them. It’d been a while since they’d stumbled through the apartment corridors on their way to Axel’s, it was usually accompanied by the mind-numbing bliss of being absolutely hammered.

“Mmf, fine.” He mumbled, feeling Axel purposefully brush his leg up between his own as he was sandwiched between the elevator doors and the towering man in front of him. The benefit of being too drunk to really remember the journey back to Axel’s was that he didn’t have to process the amount of burning desire that was pouring out of him. He was hyper aware of what was going on around him.

Axel’s breath on his neck as he pressed open mouth kisses to his skin, teeth teasing far too lightly for his own liking. Axel’s hands, brushing under his shirt, skin on skin as he squeezed, loving the pressure of Axel’s fingertips against his hips, keeping him in place. Axel’s leg was doing the most work, and another negative of them not being drunk, Axel was way more coordinated, and every intentional brush and rub was driving Roxas insane. He had already started to leak into his underwear, something he’d gripe Axel for when they were done for the night.

“Shh, you’re getting loud Roxy.” Roxas hadn’t even registered his own breathing, his own gasps of pleasure. He let out an indignant growl at the nickname, reaching up to thread his fingers through Axel’s hair, pulling his face to where he could shut him up, lips pressed together.

Axel didn’t seem to mind too much, and the tug had elicited a purr of excitement that never failed to send a shiver down Roxas’ spine. Axel wasn’t shy about admitting a little pain helped him along, and Roxas wasn’t shy about dishing it out, especially when nicknames were being thrown about.

One of Axel’s hands dipped into his jeans, starting with some altogether too eager gropes, fingers digging into the soft flesh of Roxas’ ass, before slipping around. The angle was awkward, and honestly a little uncomfortable, but Axel had managed to wrap around the base of his cock, using his thumb to massage the underside as he worked his wrist in the cramped confines.

The elevator door slid open, and Roxas moved back, surprised at his own dexterity in the situation, leading Axel into the elevator with him, his moan pressing against Axel’s lips for a moment before he pulled back for air, panting a little as he rutted against Axel’s hand.

“Elevator.” He grumbled, out of reach of the buttons as he hooked his arms around Axel’s neck, latching his lips onto the spot just below Axel’s ear, biting down enough to force a groan out of the taller man. Having to be on his tiptoes to do it wasn’t exactly his favourite thing, but he pushed past it, sucking a dark red mark into the skin as Axel hit the button for the eighth floor.

“Done.” More interested in action than words, Axel pulled his hand out of Roxas’ pants, much to his irritation. He was about to complain when Axel grabbed his thighs, hefting him up easily, wedging him against the wall. Roxas could do little aside from grip Axel’s arms, holding on for dear life as the redhead attacked his neck, bites and kisses covering the flesh Axel could reach. Usually, he’d complain, or tell Axel to at least keep it below the neckline, but he couldn’t be bothered.

It was getting to winter, being seen in a turtleneck wouldn’t raise too many eyebrows.

“Calm down.” He muttered softly, though the soft whine of delight when Axel bit down on one of the more sensitive spots on his neck destroyed any credibility the statement had carried. Axel sucked harshly on the spot, no doubt feeling the throb of his pulse with every moment he sucked against the skin.

When the elevator door slid open, Axel finally released him, setting him down. “C’mon, before my neighbours see a little too much.” He gave him a quick, heated kiss before retreating out of the elevator. Roxas would have quipped back that it could have been exciting, but he was a little dazed and his banter wasn’t exactly on top form.

He caught up to Axel as he’d gotten the door open, giving his ass a quick slap before sidling past him, grinning over at him. “Better shut the door then.” Roxas undid his jeans, kicking them off with ease, his boxers following suit. Axel had already shut the door by the time he’d done away with his top, throwing it over the couch as he turned, walking over to Axel’s bedroom, feeling the redhead’s eyes following him all the way.

By the time he’d sat down on the bed, Axel was on him, shirt gone, his jeans around his ankles as he leaned down, stealing another kiss. Roxas hooked his arms around Axel’s neck and pulled him down a bit more. Axel just managed to kick free of his jeans before laying down against Roxas, nestled between his legs as they made out. The kisses were a little less frantic now, they could take their time and enjoy themselves, hands roaming, keen to get as much touching in as they could.

After a few moments, Axel pulled away, grinning as he slid down, spreading Roxas’ legs apart. Roxas propped himself up on his elbows, smiling a little as he watched Axel press kisses along his stomach, humming happily to himself. His cheeks went pink at how oddly nice it was, the soft touches in between the heated. He didn’t like how warm it made him feel.

“Hey, think we could try something new?” Axel asked, leaning down to press a few soft kisses down the shaft of Roxas’ cock, kissing down past his balls before spreading his legs a little more, raising them enough to clue Roxas in on the actual target of his kisses.

“You’ve spent enough time kissing my ass, I wouldn’t classify this as new.” Roxas hummed, grinning as he tucked his hands behind his head, letting Axel position him however he liked.

“You sure you don’t have aspirations to become a comedian?” Axel asked, his snarky attitude challenging Roxas to retort, before he felt the swipe of soft, wet muscle against his hole. He bit down on his bottom lip, a soft moan rippling out as he felt Axel get reacquainted with his rear. It always blew his mind how thorough Axel was when it came to using his tongue, the man was a damn wizard, he swore it.

“Hmph, don’t tempt me…” He grunted, panting a little as Axel hooked his arms around Roxas’ waist, propping him up solely with his upper body, face buried in deep as he was pleasured. “So uh, something new?” Roxas asked, breathless and doing his best to focus on anything but the tongue currently spreading him apart.

Axel had definitely heard him, he was just purposefully dragging this out, tongue breaching past the tight ring of muscle, probing as deep as he could, spreading Roxas out as best he could. Axel pulled back after he reached down to tug at his hair. Roxas could feel the heat on his cheeks, and he was even more out of breath than he had been moments prior, his cock pressed down against his stomach from the angle he’d been guided into, precum smeared across him.

Roxas let himself relax against the bed, watching as the redhead retreated across the room, moving to search through his chest of drawers. Roxas admired the view of Axel’s back for a moment until he turned back around, tossing something his way. Roxas was quick to catch it, glancing down into his hands, raising an eyebrow. A dildo. Admittedly, a nice dildo, but not what he was expecting.

“I thought it’d make it easier to prep you faster.” Axel said, though he didn’t move away from the drawers, instead he leant back against it, wrapping his hand around the base of his hard cock.

“You wanna watch me do this?” Roxas asked, smiling a little as he weighed the toy in his hand, rubbing at the smooth silicone. He would have to commend Axel on his choice of dildo later. It wasn’t too over the top, a good size, and he was right, it’d make taking Axel a little easier.

“Is that too weird?” Axel asked.

“It’s a little weird, but I kinda like the idea of you watching me.” Roxas leant back to grab the lube Axel kept in his bedside table, slathering a generous helping on the toy before laying back on the bed, raising his hips. He reached down, one hand secured around the base of the dildo as he guided the toy inside, feeling the head breach past. He hissed out softly, sinking his hips downwards as the toy slid deeper.

In his periphery, he could see Axel. He’d gone quiet, eyes glued to his every move, his hand working out languid strokes. He looked like he was _really_ into it. That spurred Roxas on, bouncing his hips down to meet the toy, biting his bottom lip.

“Fuck, Rox… Done this before?” There was a hint of teasing in his voice, but it sounded like Axel really wanted to know. The answer was definitely yes, when disappointing hook-ups occurred, he could always rely on his own toy, it usually worked better than most men did.

“Mm, Axel…” He made his voice a little lighter, a little sultrier. Watching Axel’s hips buck involuntarily was its own reward. He moved his spare hand, reaching down to grasp around the head of his cock, easing out some more precum, groaning out loud as his toes curled. He didn’t expect to be so far along after something so simple, but having Axel watch him was incredibly arousing. “I want you, please…” It was definitely more performative, he wasn’t usually this vocal, but Axel seemed to love it.

Axel looked like he was torn between blowing his load right there, or giving up with his desire to watch and just get to the main attraction. “Keep going babe, a little deeper.” Axel’s voice was husky and low, deeper than usual, and went straight through him like a live wire. He spread his legs a little further, feet planted far apart as he sunk down, almost to the base of the toy, mouth hanging open in a silent cry, his cock twitching in his grasp.

“Fuck, fuck…” Roxas panted out. He was getting way too close. His time with Axel had definitely helped with his stamina, he’d learned to avoid just losing himself immediately whenever Axel got going, but this was new, and extremely exciting. Axel looked about ready to break, so Roxas lifted his hips, grunting a little as the toy popped out, a brief moment of uncomfortableness at being so empty. He set the toy aside and lay back down properly on the bed. Tucking his hands under his thighs, he lifted his legs up, spread apart and on display to the best of his abilities.

He didn’t even have to say anything, Axel had crossed the floor, already tearing open a condom. Once it was slid on, he took over for holding Roxas’ legs in place, leaning down to press a fervent kiss to his lips. Roxas responded in kind, moaning against him as he felt Axel slide in. It was definitely easier to take after working with the toy, and based on the throb he could feel, Axel wasn’t going to last long. He was secretly relieved; he wasn’t holding out much longer either.

“You’re incredible.” Axel’s complement was breathed out between kisses as his hips began to move, picking up speed instantly, Roxas didn’t have a chance to enjoy the build-up, but the pay off was feeling Axel deep enough to drive him insane in seconds. He was already angling, searching out the spot that threatened to have Roxas spilling over with no effort whatsoever. Axel hooked his arms around Axel’s neck again, keeping their kiss as his focus. If he touched himself, it was all over, and he was determined to enjoy this for as long as he could.

“Axel, harder, please…” He managed to murmur, half expecting his voice to betray him and be much louder. His lover had no qualms, and started to work faster, hips pushing in harder. Finally, he’d got the angle down perfectly, and the sudden strike against his prostate, coupled with Axel’s hand, which had just wrapped around him, was enough to send him over the edge. Breathless, a strangled cry ripped out of him, and he spilled across his chest and stomach, bliss causing his vision to turn white. For a brief few moments, he really didn’t know where, or who, he was. He was completely blank.

When Roxas came down from his high, Axel had collapsed down against him, cock slid out of him. He’d moved Roxas’ legs so he wouldn’t be too uncomfortable, and just lay against his chest, attempting to catch his breath. Roxas didn’t really trust his basic motor functions, but he handled brushing his hand through Axel’s hair well enough. He didn’t really care that the red locks were a little damp from perspiration, he could hardly judge, he was soaked.

“Shower?” Axel suggested, croaked out and exhausted.

Roxas smiled, nodding. “Shower.” He echoed.

By the time he came back through, Axel was busy towel drying his hair, still buck naked. He’d replaced his quilt with a spare, too lazy to strip the sheet and change it.

Roxas had dried off enough to flop onto the bed without feeling too guilty, a pair of boxers around his hips. After a moment or so, Axel dropped down next to him, arms snaking around his waist. Roxas shuffled closer, a soft noise of affirmation escaping his closed lips as he rested his head on Axel’s chest.

A few moments of blissful comfort passed, before Roxas peeked his head up, meeting Axel’s eyes.

“Yeah?” Axel asked, reaching down to brush a lock of hair from his face.

“I’m curious. You and Demyx, ever been a thing?” He asked. Axel snorted immediately, and Roxas was relieved. He really was just curious, but that kind of question could easily be construed as jealousy.

“I’ll admit, when we first met, I was tempted. But the more I got to know Dem, the more I just saw him as a friend.” Axel said, seeming to be comfortable with the topic of conversation. Roxas nodded, chuckling. It was kind of hard to imagine them as a couple, they matched too well, he doubted they’d get anything done, and just encourage each other to nap for eternity. “What about you and Hayner?” Axel asked.

Roxas snorted in a similar way Axel had. “God, no.” He said, chuckling softly. “I love Hayner, but platonically. Plus, I met him when he was like, eleven. He was loud, and annoying, and just… A lot. Plus, he had the _worst_ acne.” Roxas murmured, chuckling to himself.

“Wowwww, Rox, I didn’t take you to be the judgy type.” Axel teased, smiling.

“I mean, I was worse. It took a _lot_ of creams and shit to fix this.” Roxas gestured to his own face with a quick circular motion, eliciting some laughter between them.

“So, who was your last relationship with?” Axel asked. There was a moment where he was sure he could see Axel regret asking the question, probably because it put a big spotlight on their own situation.

“I uh, haven’t really had a serious relationship, with anniversaries or stuff like that.” Roxas said, a touch awkwardly. It was strange to admit, and even stranger to think that this friends with benefits situation with Axel was closer to a proper relationship than he’d gotten in a long time. “Never really met someone I connected with enough to get that close.”

Axel nodded along, and to his surprise, no quips, no teasing. It wasn’t something he broadcast a lot, mainly for fear of that ridicule, but also because it really wasn’t anyone else’s business. Axel was different in this case. “Well, they ain’t all they’re cracked up to be, so I wouldn’t worry.” Axel murmured, smiling a little. It didn’t seem to bitter, so Roxas pushed, tentatively.

“Who was yours?” He asked, moving a hand to rest against Axel’s side, rubbing gently, almost soothingly.

“Uh, his name is Saix. We were together for… About four years?” Axel said, questioning himself. He seemed to sober up a touch when speaking about him.

“You don’t have to talk about him, if you don't want to.” Roxas assured softly, unsure if that sobering air around them was something too serious.

“Huh? Oh, no don’t worry, we didn’t end for anything dramatic or anything like that. I chose Twilight Town for university; he chose Hollow Bastion. We didn’t think a long-distance relationship would work for us, so we decided to call it quits.” Axel explained, reaching down to lazily brush his thumb under Roxas’ eye.

Roxas nodded, understanding that it sounded difficult. He had difficulty with relationships in general, adding distance as a factor sounded even more challenging. “What was he like?” He asked.

Axel chuckled softly, a bittersweet smile on his face. “He was intense. Fiercely loyal, a good person, even if he could be a little misguided sometimes. I’d known him for years, we were both from Radiant Gardens, when I moved as a kid, he followed suit a few years later, his dad got transferred over here.” Axel told him. Roxas didn’t have much to add, so he just nodded, urging him to continue. It felt nice, learning more about Axel. “We started dating around the start of high school, he was one of the nicer people in my friend group, which says a lot because Saix could be a real dick when he wanted to be.” Axel murmured, more amused than anything.

“Marluxia.” Roxas assumed, and assumed correctly, going by the soft nod. The more Roxas heard about him, the more he disliked him.

“Saix once called him a stuck-up cunt with a serious narcissism problem.” Axel remembered fondly, causing Roxas to snort.

“I like your ex.” Roxas said sincerely.

“Me too.” Axel agreed, chuckling a little as he tugged Roxas a little closer, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

“Do you miss him?” Roxas asked.

“Mhm, but not really as a boyfriend. He was my best friend for years before that, and he’s still my friend now, even if we don’t talk as much. I think I’ll always miss him, to some extent.” Axel said.

“That makes sense.” Roxas said, nodding as he leaned up, pressing a kiss to Axel’s cheek. “Sorry I got so heavy.”

“Nah. You’re still light as hell, look.” Axel scooped him up with ease, rolling them so Roxas was perched up on his lap, laughing softly.

“You’re hilarious.” He responded dryly, rolling his eyes as he leaned down, stealing a soft kiss. They had all night, with no chance of an interruption. He settled down against Axel, their conversation dissipating as their kiss deepened.

Knowing more about Axel, he couldn’t deny the warmth that flooded him. He was determined to make friends with benefits work, but it was becoming more complicated the further it went. He closed his eyes, pushing those thoughts away as he lay against Axel, basking in the comfort and warmth. It was a worry for another day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gotta thank everyone for the nice comments and kudos, it's been a huge help to hear everyone's thoughts on the fic! Oh also, I sprinkled in some hints of Axel and Saix in the past because LeaIsa is one of my other favourite ships, their dynamic is so good!


	9. Bruised Knuckles 2: Electric Boogaloo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hauled ass to get this down because shit is ramping up, and once we get there I feel like things are going to smoothen out writing wise, so look forward to that! I'm continuing to flesh out of some Roxas-y stuff because that's gonna be important soon, this time from Axel's outside perspective

Axel settled into the plush chair, sighing lightly. Getting a tattoo wasn’t exactly a daunting experience, he’d gotten his face tattooed when he turned eighteen. The teardrop tattoos weren’t exactly big or obnoxious, and they could be covered up with makeup if absolutely necessary, but he had luckily never run into that kind of situation. No doubt he would, considering the line of work he was chasing. The subtle buzz of the tattoo artists’ needle was constant, etching an intricate pattern into the inside of his wrist. He glanced away, met with Naminé, looking on with a furrowed brow.

“Does it hurt?” She asked quietly, tilting her head to the side, strands of blonde hair pouring over her shoulder as she did.

“A little, but I can handle it.” Axel hummed, and they shared a laugh. Xion was over by the door to the shop, peering up at the various designs framed on the wall.

Roxas was snowed under, working through an assignment he’d been too busy to work on for the past week, and with the appearance of one of Leon’s most trusted colleagues from Hollow Bastion, the workload at the firm doubled, even with her help. Xion had offered to help Roxas with the assignment and got a snippy, resigned ‘no’, that he could handle it himself. Axel knew better than to ask aloud if Roxas was alright, but he apparently got like this when he was stressed.

Axel had been granted access to their group chat, something Hayner was very dramatic about. Pence and Olette egged him on about it too, which was more amusing than anything, and when he mentioned that he was going to get his tattoos, Xion and Naminé offered to come with him.

“When’d you get the first set?” Xion asked, moving over to the couch Naminé was sat on, perching on the arm of it, peering over at the tattoo artist’s work so far. She didn’t look too horrified, so he assumed that was a good thing.

“When I was eighteen, so about four years ago. I’d wanted to get them for years, and finally my mum relented and gave me the go ahead. I think she was worried I wasn’t gonna stop there and just tattoo the rest of my face.” He said, grinning to himself. After the fact, she’d told him how much she liked them, and just didn’t want to encourage him when he came to her with the idea.

“I’ve always wanted to get one honestly, does yours have any special meaning?” Xion asked, curiosity piqued. He was also pretty curious what kind of tattoo she’d get, but that could be asked later.

“Kinda, so apparently they’re supposed to stop you from crying. It’s like a symbolic thing, the tear tattoos mean you don’t need to cry anymore.” He explained, scratching the back of his head sheepishly with the one free hand he had.

“Did you cry a lot as a kid?” Naminé spoke as if she were asking a simple question, and he’d half expected teasing. She just seemed sincere, purely curious about how he was as a kid.

“Heh, kinda. But the cool kinda crying, y’know? I’d fight the other kids with tears in my eyes a lot.” He attempted to play it off as a joke, but it was pretty much the truth. He was always labelled ‘the new kid’ when he was young, and young Axel wasn’t nearly as emotionally mature as adult Axel. Well, he still has a ways to go, but at least he wasn’t fist fighting everyone that did him wrong. Marluxia was exempt from that list. Then, as he grew up, Saix was the new kid, and he’d defend his best friend from anyone that had a problem with it.

Then it got to high school, and pushing mean kids away from him evolved into punching matches and broken ribs. That’s when his mum got involved, no longer able to brush it off as a brusque and unruly child, but a kid with serious anger issues. When he was younger, keeping his anger in check was something he couldn’t do, and he never had a good outlet for that misplaced teenage angst, and the urge to scream from the rooftops that no one understood him.

Looking back, he really was thankful that she had made him talk to a counsellor about it, and encourage him to find ways to calm himself down without throwing a punch. He’d mellowed out a lot since high school, and thankfully so, a lawyer with anger issues sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.

“I’m sure you pulled off crying in a very cool way.” Naminé agreed, though the small smile showed she was teasing him a little, and he couldn’t help but laugh.

“Oh definitely, if anyone’s gonna look cool crying, it’s Axel.” Xion agreed, grinning as she slid down from the arm of the couch into the proper cushions, crossing her legs as she got comfortable.

“See, you guys get it.” Axel said, returning the grin as he got comfortable again. The tattoo artist checked in to see if he was doing okay, and he assured her that he was fine. He didn’t like to peek too early at the design, felt like it was bad luck, but it looked great so far. He noticed Naminé and Xion discussing something, keeping their voices hushed, so he just focused on the ceiling.

Roxas had been his first choice to ask when it came to having someone with him for his tattoos, but once he’d learned he was busy, he figured it was better to not bother him. It had been a little over a week since they’d talked relationships, and truthfully, he hadn’t really been expecting to spend a Thursday evening out with Xion and Naminé, but both Roxas and him had been busy as hell when it came to the firm, and considering they saw each other there almost every day, it wasn’t so bad to take some time apart.

Plus, angry Roxas was only sexy when it was the first stage of angry Roxas. The fact he had stages was a new and terrifying discovery he’d made more recently, and was determined to stay in his good books for as long as possible.

“Hey, Axel?” Xion this time, garnering his attention away from thoughts of mildly grumpy and domineering Roxas.

“Mhm?” He replied, looking over at the pair.

“We wanted to talk to you about Roxas.” She said, glancing at Naminé who nodded in agreement.

“Is he alright?” Axel asked, raising an eyebrow. The fact that Xion was being purposefully vague set him off a little, and he’d already started to worry.

“No, no, he’s fine. Just, we know about you two.” She said, a little awkwardly, as if it weren’t her place to know, which truth be told, it wasn’t. His heartbeat quickened a little, and if it weren’t for the artists vice like grip on his arm, he might’ve moved and fucked up the tattoo.

“What about us?” He asked, keeping his voice casual. They definitely already knew; they wouldn’t have brought it up otherwise.

“It’s okay Axel, we won’t tell anyone.” Naminé assured him, hands clasped in her lap. “Xion figured it out at the beach, and she came to me to see if Roxas had told me anything, and all I knew was that he had called it quits with you because Leon wouldn’t have liked it. That’s when we assumed you two were keeping it secret.” Naminé said, her tone imparting a sense of pity, that she felt sorry for the unfortunate hand they’d been dealt. Axel was more interested in how the young girl knew Leon so well as to call him by his first name.

“Well, I guess I can’t really argue with logic like that.” Axel said. He would’ve felt awkward talking about this with a stranger in the room, but if he was being totally honest, he was pretty sure the woman tattooing his wrist was so focused on the work in front of her, that he could’ve admitted to murder and she wouldn’t even look up. “We’re not, like, a _couple_ couple, but we’re more than friends.” Nah, that still felt awkward.

Naminé’s cheeks went pink at the insinuation, and Xion just grinned.

“We won’t tell anyone, promise.” Xion assured, and Axel nodded his appreciation.

“Thanks. So, you know Leon well enough to refer to him by name? I thought he was like, mega grouch.” Axel asked, hoping to move past their topic of conversation, if not for his own embarrassment, for Naminé’s.

“Oh, well he’s basically Roxas’ uncle. I thought you knew.” She said, a little sheepishly. He did _not_ know, but that definitely made a lot more sense to him. Back in Radiant Gardens, he’d had family friends that he’d called uncles and aunties, purely because they were good friends with his mum, and he assumed it was a similar situation. Leon was at least ten years older than Roxas, it wasn’t out the realm of possibility that he knew Roxas’ parents.

“Huh, that does make sense.” Axel said with a small nod.

“And he’s definitely a mega grouch.” Naminé echoed his earlier term, laughing a little.

The artist currently glued to his wrist pulled back, wiping her brow with the back of her hand. Axel got a quick chance to marvel at the finished product, a carefully carved circular pattern resembling spiked discs, with a mix of red and greyish silver. It looked exactly like he’d hoped. He thanked her, and she quickly moved to the other side of the chair, getting started on his other wrist once she’d covered up the new tattoo, to ensure the skin healed properly.

It took another forty-five minutes for the artist to finish up the second tattoo, the framework took the longest time, with various patterns and delicate linework to get through, the colouring was more painful, but over much quicker. Naminé and Xion were busy discussing various things that came to mind, including him in their chats whenever possible, but they mostly spent their time looking at the examples of tattoos for Xion. By the time the tattoo was done, Axel’s legs felt like jelly. Even at work, he wasn’t quite used to sitting down for so long, he’d regularly stride around the office reading casefiles.

He handed over the cash he owed for the tattoo, an early Christmas present from his mum, considering he was unlikely to get any time off to see her with end of term assignments coming up, and work at the firm picking up speed. She had planned to head to Radiant Gardens to visit extended family, he was relieved she wouldn’t be alone, and also relieved he wouldn’t have to see his extended family. He pushed himself up off the chair, sighing happily as he walked over to the pair he’d been out with for most of the day, looking over them at the displays.

“You guys ready to get out of here?” He asked, getting a chorus of agreements. They made their way out onto the street, with Axel rolling down his sleeves. It was nearing the end of November, and the warm day on the beach felt like a distant memory, when it was only a few weeks ago. The skies above Twilight Town were grey, thick with clouds and threatening to spill over. Whether it would be rain or snow, he wasn’t so sure, but with the holidays just around the corner, he was silently wishing for the latter. Despite his hatred of the cold, he hadn’t managed to shift his childlike wonder when it came to snow.

“What’s your plans for the rest of the day Axel?” Naminé asked, glancing up at him. It was getting late in the day already, and if he remembered correctly, Naminé had work soon, and Xion would be no doubt catching up on assignments.

“I’ll probably head home and get ready for work tonight, I got to avoid the firm today.” He said, glad he wasn’t in on Fridays. With Tifa Lockhart setting up temporary residence in the firm, and a whirlwind of cases being passed from pillar to post while the senior lawyers worked their asses off to get ready, it was a nightmare. He’d seen Roxas almost every day during it, and he was sure he looked more and more exhausted every time.

“You need to make sure you don’t run yourself ragged Axel.” Xion pointed out, and going by the look on her face, that pensive worry that Xion often let herself fall into, she was thinking about Roxas too.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll be fine, don’t worry.” He said, grinning a little as he walked along the street with the others. It wasn’t long until they parted ways, each taking different routes.

Axel returned home, chatting briefly with Demyx, who’d ordered in some takeaway, sharing it out with Zexion, who was surrounded by various textbooks that looked too confusing to even understand, even from the outside. Axel accepted the offered box of noodles, snacking on it between getting ready for work and cleaning up the kitchen. His attempt at lunch had been left all over the counters, and he was relieved Demyx hadn’t begrudgingly tidied up, he’d have felt vaguely guilty. Despite the fact that Demyx was definitely a lazy person, he really pulled his own weight when it came to cleaning up, and their small apartment was rarely ever all that messy.

“Hey Ax, are you gonna be home tonight?” Demyx stole a glance to his side, to Zexion. If Axel was _this_ subtle, he and Roxas would’ve been screwed from the get go.

“I’m working til late tonight. I’ll text you when I’m heading home.” Axel said, chuckling a little. Demyx clasped his hands together in a show of silent thanks before settling into the couch next to Zexion, intent on helping the quiet young man with his assignments. His help extended as far as picking out passages and asking for some context. Zexion didn’t look all that bothered, and even seemed happy to explain some of what he was working on. He was sure Demyx just nodded along without any idea what was happening.

After a short trip from his apartment, Axel was back behind the bar. It was still early, but it was Friday, so it might as well have been midnight by now. There wasn’t any live music scheduled for tonight, so anyone who walked through the doors had one thing in mind, and it was forgetting the last week had existed. Despite feeling in his element when it came to working at a bar, he wasn’t a hugely prolific drinker. Well, he did drink more than most, but he never really chased the feeling of being completely lost to the world then waking up with the urge to be violently sick. A pleasant buzz was all he ever drank for.

The evening marched on, and more new faces continued to pop up. As the bar got busier, Axel worked harder, intent on ensuring that his workload didn’t reach the point where he had people yelling over each other asking for drinks. It had been hours, and he was in a bit of a whirl, keeping up with his colleagues at keeping the sudden boom of customers happy. He slid to a stop, eyes settling on Roxas, leaning against the bar, gazing up at him with a simple smile.

“Hey.” Roxas greeted simply, exhaustedly.

Axel stepped back to allow his colleague to slide past, before stepping closer to the bar. “That’s the ‘hey’ of someone who wants to be buried under blankets, fast asleep.” Axel commented, amused as he leant down against the bar. He could see people starting to queue in his periphery, he was going to have to be quick.

“I got my assignment pretty much done, took all day, but it’s done.” He said, relief clear in his voice. “I felt bad about missing out on your tattoos, so I thought I’d come see you.” Roxas said, smiling a little.

“Aren’t you the sweetest?” Axel asked, a rhetorical question, even in Roxas’ infinite grumpiness, he really was very sweet. He whipped up a quick cocktail for the blond, he’d spent a while complaining about them, but the mix of paopu fruit juice and vodka, even the smallest volume, seemed to have hooked Roxas on it.

“I try.” He said with a shrug, accepting the glass.

Axel rolled his eyes, undoing the small gauze covers on his wrists, giving Roxas a peek. The skin around the tattoos was still a little red, but it was healing already, and the pattern was done so well that he could hardly complain about the stinging. “They look pretty good, right?” He asked.

“Absolutely, I like them.” Roxas agreed, sipping on the cocktail through the straw he’d been offered.

Axel could already see people queuing up, so he nodded, gesturing aside. “Duty calls.” Roxas simply nodded him off, happy enough to sip at his cocktail while Axel thinned the horde. Most of his customers weren’t too drunk yet so he was able to get through them with a nice smile and some polite chatter, keeping them happy so they’d return to their tables to continue chatting with their friends rather than him.

As the night wore on, he noticed a guy sidle up closer to Roxas, setting up some conversation. A brief flare of jealousy ripped through him, but watching Roxas let each conversation thread fall with complete disinterest made him want to laugh. He was about to turn away when he saw the guy, some douche with slicked back hair and a very punchable face, reach down, a very unwelcome hand roaming.

Roxas’ eyes widened, and he tensed. Fury. That’s what he was seeing. Before Axel could really react, Roxas had stamped his foot down against the man’s behind him. Letting out a yelp of pain, Roxas put his palm over his fist, driving his elbow back into the creep’s gut. Axel winced, an unwilling sympathy to the bastard who’d tried to feel Roxas up. The short blond turned, throwing his fist forward, catching across his jaw, sending him stumbling back.

“Touch me again, and I’ll make you swallow your fucking teeth!” Axel slipped past the bar, moving to catch Roxas before he decided to make good on his threat. Roxas immediately retreated back against Axel, and he put himself between Roxas and the guy currently nursing his jaw. It was for the other guys safety, rather than Roxas’.

A lumbering colossus of a man, with orange hair and a jawline that would’ve shattered Roxas’ knuckles if he’d tried it appeared. “What happened?” Lexaeus, a man who he vaguely knew through university, and the bars muscle when Axel’s threatening wouldn’t cut it.

“This creep was getting handsy. Get him out of here, and make sure he’s barred.” Axel said, watching as Lexaeus hefted the man up with one hand, keeping his hand around his bicep.

“I’ll tell Cid what happened, don’t worry.” He said, nodding.

“Thanks Lex.” Axel turned to Roxas. His anger had abated somewhat, but he was still tightly coiled, hands balled into fists. “C’mon, let’s get you somewhere where you’re not gonna punch something, alright? Or maybe where you can punch something without breaking it.” He murmured, gesturing towards the door that led into the employee area in the back of the bar.

Roxas nodded, shuffling through, grabbing his drink off the bar as he went. Axel looked towards the bar, but his colleague, a young woman with purplish hair trimmed into a bob just nodded in understanding.

Axel followed after Roxas, closing the door behind him.

“I’m fine, honestly.” Roxas said, already sat on one of the couches.

“Yeah, no doubts there. Nice right hook, by the way.” Axel said, attempting to lighten the mood. It seemed to work, Roxas chuckled at the compliment, scratching the back of his head. Axel stopped by the freezer they had, gathering up some ice in a dish towel, scrunching it at the top. “Trust me, after punching a guy in the jaw, even if it doesn’t hurt too much right now, you’ll appreciate this.” Axel said, kneeling down in front of Roxas, resting the bundle of ice on his hand. Roxas took hold of it, nodding.

“Thanks Axel.” He said, a little quieter now, glancing away.

“So… Where’d you learn to drop a guy like that?” Axel asked, grinning. Roxas had shown his skill at Struggle, so he knew that he could beat the shit out of people with foam bats, he just didn’t know he could brawl with his bare hands.

“Heh, you make it sound like I’ve had secret assassin training or something.” Roxas pointed out, grinning a little.

“Wait, you _haven’t?_ Seriously, why am I even friends with you?” He asked, trying to keep up his faux disappointment but he couldn’t stop himself from grinning too.

“At this point? Not sure.” Roxas responded, sarcasm obvious in his voice as he settled back into the couch, rubbing the bundled ice against his hand. There was a quiet moment, stretched out as Axel glanced around the room. “My older brother Cloud taught me how to fight.” Roxas murmured.

A brother? First Leon is basically his uncle, now he has a brother? Learning this, Axel realized that he really didn’t know Roxas’ family all that well. Apart from a mum that he’d seen in texts that flashed up, and now Roxas’ brother, that’s all he knew. Roxas didn’t bring them up that often, and he never really felt it was his place to ask.

“Is _he_ a secret assassin?” Axel asked, a goofy grin earning him a laugh from Roxas.

“When he still lived here, he taught self-defence classes. So, it’s possible.” So that’s why Roxas didn’t mention him that much. Or at least, he assumed that was why.

“So, I can only assume your brother is a complete badass, going by your ability to punch people.” Axel half joked, but he was also kind of serious. Trying to figure out what this Cloud guy could look like, he was just thinking of a taller, beefier Roxas. It was kinda hot, if it wasn’t so comical.

“Nah, he’s kind of a goofball.” Roxas said with a soft laugh, smiling faintly.

“A goofball that could absolutely kick my ass, based on how you were fighting.” Axel commented.

“Hmm, strong goofball? Yeah that fits.” Roxas agreed, nodding.

“How’s your hand feeling?” Axel asked, watching as Roxas moved the ice off, squeezing his hand into a fist a few times. His face scrunched up a little, but he nodded.

“Yeah, it’s fine.” Roxas assured him, setting the ice aside. “Thanks for this, and sorry for making a scene.” He said, seeming like he was apologizing out of courtesy rather than because he was actually sorry about it, and Axel couldn’t really blame him for it.

“Don’t worry, that guy deserved more than a punch.” He said, patting Roxas’ shoulder. He saw the blond glance to the door for a moment before leaning in, stealing a quick kiss. It was soft, brief, and tasted faintly of fruit. He returned the kiss quickly, before Roxas had pulled away, standing back up.

“I should probably head home, before I beat up any of your other customers.” Roxas said, looking a little proud at the prospect. Axel nodded, standing up from his knelt position.

“How about I walk you home? I can get someone to cover my shift for a while, plus I need to talk to you about something.” He didn’t mean for it to sound so serious, but Roxas looked wary regardless.

“Uh, yeah that sounds nice, thanks.” Roxas shuffled out of the backroom with Axel following behind. He told his colleague he’d be taking Roxas home and she understood, telling him to take his time.

Once they were out under the dark, star speckled sky, a silence welled up between them. Axel wasn’t sure if Naminé and Xion had told Roxas that they knew, so this might have been a waste of time on his part, but he would still use it as an excuse to walk the younger man home.

“So, about what I wanted to talk about.” He started, but took pause. Roxas went tense again, the same kind of tension he’d been seeing in the other man more often, the same he’d seen after the incident in the bar. “Roxas?”

“If you think we should just call it quits, just say it.” It wasn’t accusatory, or aggressive, it was just tired. Axel frowned, shaking his head.

“Whoa, uh, no, that’s not what this is about.” Axel assured quickly, holding his hands up as if he were surrendering. “I was just going to tell you that Naminé and Xion know about us, they figured it out.” He said.

“Oh…” Roxas deflated somewhat, looking anywhere but Axel. “I’m not surprised, Naminé has always been a really good judge of character, she just kinda picks up on these things.” He murmured. It was an obvious attempt to move the topic ahead.

“Roxas, do _you_ think we should be calling this quits?” Axel asked. It wasn’t completely out of the blue, they were still getting on well, but with classes ramping up before the December break, which wasn’t really a break considering they had a trove of coursework; and exams if you were particularly unlucky, to get through, and the added workload at the firm, they hadn’t seen each other as much.

“No.” He was quick to respond, then sighed. “I just hate keeping secrets.” He murmured. He’d never seen Roxas so withdrawn before, even when he was trying to be quiet or avoid the spotlight, like his hour-long tanning at the beach, he was still talking, smiling, interacting with everyone. He just looked like he’d been trampled, emotionally at least, and he was exhausted.

“I get it.” Axel agreed, reaching over to tentatively rest a hand on his shoulder, a gesture of support. “Maybe it’s just worth telling Leon and facing whatever comes our way.” Axel suggested, but the suggestion itself didn’t sit right with him.

“I can’t risk you losing your job over this.” Roxas said, shaking his head.

“You never know, Leon doesn’t glare at me when I speak now, I think I’m getting close to that favourite spot.” Axel hummed, smiling as he saw a faint grin on Roxas’ face, the ghost of a laugh passing his lips.

“You’ve got a while to go yet.” He murmured, finally looking up at Axel. He chewed the inside of his cheek, staring down into Roxas’ eyes.

“Any ideas then?” He asked.

Roxas shook his head, sighing softly. “Not really. I just… I don’t think of this as just us fucking, it’s not that simple.” He admitted.

Axel had thought he’d be the one to bring this up, and he was a little surprised Roxas decided to. Despite it, he still felt a sting of panic. It was so much easier to avoid his growing feelings when he didn’t think of them.

“I feel the same. You’re my friend now too, but I don’t think just friends will ever work.” He said. His choice of words definitely affected Roxas, he caught a hint of disappointment in his eyes, and it hurt, to mislead Roxas into thinking that was all he thought, but he wasn’t ready for that conversation.

“Yeah, we tried that and failed monumentally.” Roxas agreed, pushing down disappointment, managing to crack a joke.

Axel chuckled, putting as much humour into it as he could. “Listen.” His hand dropped from Roxas’ shoulder and caught his hand. “We keep as long as it makes sense, right? I don’t want to lose this.” He said, squeezing Roxas’ hand gently.

Roxas returned the squeeze, nodding a little. “As long as it makes sense.” He agreed.

Axel could feel a pit in his stomach, and it was becoming too much of an occurrence for his own liking. An awful feeling of dread that he couldn’t shake, but Roxas really did mean too much to him. If he stated his feelings plainly, which he absolutely could have done if he wasn’t so much of a coward, he could have told Roxas that he liked him. That he knew it was more than just friendship, that he wished they didn’t work together so they could have a chance to _be_ together. But he didn’t.

They slowed to a stop at the end of the road, Roxas’ apartment just across the way. The only light they had to go on was the street light above their heads, the grey clouds hanging high in the sky had darkened considerably, and he had no doubt in his mind that summer was well and truly over, even in a place like Twilight Town, where the sun’s talons very rarely let up.

“Hey, before you go.” He leant down, cupping Roxas’ face as he kissed him. It was easier to communicate his feelings like this, he didn’t have to speak, didn’t have to worry about fucking it up. In that moment, he and Roxas were the only people in the world. No Leon, no law firm, no jobs, just them. Roxas returned the soft kiss, hands resting against Axel’s chest. He was reluctant to pull away, but when he did, he smiled.

Roxas reached down, squeezing one of Axel’s with both hands, returning the smile. “Thanks for this.” He said.

Axel let his free hand rest on top of Roxas’, nodding. “Stop thanking me, you’re fine.” He assured.

“Right. Well, listen, with my assignment done, I’m pretty much free for the foreseeable, the rest of my coursework has a late hand in date, how about I actually show up some more, start acting like a friend?” Roxas suggested, attempting a smile. There was something, it was after he said the word friend, it looked like he was masking something.

Axel was worried he’d taken the word and let himself get wrapped up in the idea that that’s all they were to each other, and he wanted desperately to tell him otherwise. But when he went to speak, went to tell him that being friends was the baseline, that he wanted so much more, the words wouldn’t come. “That sounds great, all my assignments are starting to loom, I could use a study buddy.” Axel hummed, grinning down at him.

“I will do my best to understand the justice system to help you out.” Roxas pledged, chuckling as he released Axel’s hands.

“You can just sit around and look pretty, I’m sure it’ll help.” He teased, watching as Roxas rolled his eyes. He did worry, silently, that he was going to stress even more than Roxas had been lately, they were too alike in their moods honestly, and he could already feel the stress setting in. He’d fight that stress tooth and nail and get through his assignments if it meant he could have a few easy days with Roxas again.

“I’m sure it would.” Roxas agreed, shaking his head as he gestured behind Axel. “You should get back to work before Cid docks your pay.” He pointed out, leaning up to give Axel a quick peck on the cheek.

“You’re probably right, sounds like something he’d do.” Axel agreed, grinning a little as he waved Roxas off, waiting until he got inside his apartment building before turning on his heel, heading back the way he came.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title for this chapter is now my favourite overall, and I don't think I'll be topping it, ever. Thanks for all the kudos and comments, I really appreciate all the kind words, questions and helpful critiques I've gotten for this fic, they mean the world to me!


	10. Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're drawing ever closer to angst! Enjoy the happy times, we'll be taking a break from joy for a bit.

It wasn’t often that Axel found himself staring at the front of Roxas’ door, but here he was. It was mid-afternoon, and the amber hue filtering in through the window covered the dark door in a bright glow, glinting here and there.

After their talk last week, they had gotten mostly back to normal. Roxas was more willing to text, or phone, or even show up on his door when he was feeling stressed, and he’d been a massive help to Axel’s own studying when he wasn’t stressed to the gills. He’d even come home from the bar one night to find Roxas laying on the couch, with Zexion talking him through some of the more salient points concerning penmanship and legibility while Demyx gave him a head massage with one of those god awful metal contraptions that looked like a claw from a grabber game you’d see at the fair. It was an oddly wholesome sight.

He was brought out of his reminiscing when a sudden thud resounded from behind the door. He raised his hand, knocking on the front door. It was open seconds later, and Roxas was staring up at him, bug eyed, clad in an apron, with a bottle of furniture polish in one hand, a rag in the other.

“Uh, I can come back later.” Axel suggested, even though Roxas had invited him over. He was starting to think he’d been tricked into something.

“Nope.” With one hand, Roxas grabbed fistfuls of his shirt, dragging him inside. He barely protested, knowing it was futile.

“Considering how terrifying you look; I hope you have something I can do to keep me away from you.” Axel said, grinning a little. Roxas didn’t return the sentiment.

“Could you start in the kitchen?” At least he wasn’t barking orders just yet. Axel turned, eyes widening. The room was in disarray, various plates and cutlery stacked high near the sink, while the table and counters had a dusting of flour, bits of what looked like icing, and other miscellaneous baking goods.

“What in the _fuck_ happened in there?” He asked, not doing anything to hide the shock in his voice. He’d never seen Roxas’ kitchen in such a state before, and it was kind of incredible to see.

“Well, Sora always says he bakes to help when he feels stressed, so…” Roxas trailed off, manic and frantic replaced with awkward and bashful.

“ _You_ did this?” Axel asked, stepping into the warzone.

“Hey! No judging, you’re here to help.” Roxas groused, shuffling over to start clearing up the coffee table in the living room. By far, the open plan kitchen was the worst looking part of the apartment right now, so of course he’d been assigned to clean it.

“What exactly has you so panicked? It’s like, two in the afternoon on a Sunday, this is the kind of time you take to relax.” Axel pointed out, starting by moving any utensil or plate still dotted around the kitchen into the sink.

“My brother’s coming home.” Roxas didn’t elaborate, just seemed to tidy faster as if uttering the words would hasten Cloud’s return.

“Your brother? Like, the kickass, absentee one?” Axel asked, grabbing a cloth, dunking it into the soapy water Roxas was kind enough to fill the basin with.

“That’s the one.” Roxas hummed, throwing away anything that he didn’t strictly need to keep, mainly boxes of takeout from last night and various scrap paper.

“Suddenly, I understand why you're… The way you are right now.” Axel didn’t dare elaborate, instead focusing on getting the kitchen looking a little less horrifying. “Where’s Sora? I thought he’d jump at the chance to help out.” He pointed out, scrubbing down the table to get rid of the flour coating the surface.

“He’s in a practical exam for the rest of the day, he didn’t get to witness the horror I inflicted on the kitchen.” Axel did his best not to laugh, and instead noticed a batch of cupcakes on the counter. The icing looked a little haphazard, but he shrugged and scooped up one, taking a bite. Despite the bombsite Roxas had left behind, the cupcakes tasted pretty damn good.

“Hey, these are good!” He called through, hearing Roxas shuffle over towards the space between kitchen and living room.

“Hey! No snacking on all of them, those are all for me after I get through this.” He said, though there was some teasing in his voice. Axel scoffed down the rest of the cupcake, giving a mock salute to Roxas as proof that he’d behave. The sceptical look he received was fair.

“So, why _are_ you so panicked? I know I said I got it, but surely seeing your brother again is a good thing?” Axel asked, wanting to keep the conversation tame, hopefully Roxas explaining things made him less likely to shout.

“It is, it is.” Roxas agreed, sounding a little exasperated. “I just haven’t seen him in a while, and honestly, we tend to argue when he comes back to town. I’d like to just have him visit and not have a yelling match for once.” Roxas said, loud enough for Axel to hear him, but soft enough to put forward that he really wanted to avoid that outcome.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Axel wasn’t sure in the slightest, Roxas could start an argument with an empty room, and if his brother was anything like him, he really didn’t want to be in the room if they got shouting at each other.

“You don’t know my brother.” Roxas grumbled, finishing his polishing job on the coffee table, starting to set things back down on the clear surface.

“No, but I know you. When you put your mind to something, you get it done.” Axel said, glancing through to catch Roxas’ smile, subtle as he turned his back on him, setting the cleaning implements down.

“Let’s hope that’s enough.” He responded, before getting started on the rest of the living room. Axel decided it’d be better to just keep at the cleaning, the sooner he was done with it, the sooner he could get back to teasing Roxas.

It took them almost an hour to get the apartment looking even vaguely back to normal, at least the kitchen anyway. Roxas had finished up sooner than expected in the living room, so he helped with the rest of the kitchen, and with both of them working, it quickly started to look like a proper kitchen again, and not the victim of Roxas’ flour bombing atrocities.

Axel wiped his brow with the back of his hand, tossing the floury towel in the sink with the dishes, resting his hands on his hips as he surveyed the scene before him. This was probably the most efficient cleaning he’d ever done.

“Hey, when’s your brother supposed to get here?” Axel asked, looking over to Roxas, who was busy undoing the apron around his waist, hanging it up. Before he could answer, there was a knock at the door.

“Oh god.” Roxas looked over, gazing at the door.

“Relax, you’ve got this.” Axel assured, moving over to stand in front of the door, patting Roxas on the back gently as he moved past.

“Here goes nothing.” Roxas sighed, stepping closer. Roxas paused for a moment, mustering up courage by the looks of it, before he swung the door open.

Standing in the hallway, a man in a sleeveless navy-blue tee, baggy black pants and combat boots, a holdall under his arm, with a suitcase by his feet. He had sky blue eyes, not quite as deep as Roxas’, a handsome face with a strong jawline, and jet black, spiky hair, parted in the middle with some of his fringe hanging over his forehead. This was _not_ what he expected Roxas’ brother to look like.

“Uh, I’m guessing he gets his hair from his dad or something?” Axel offered, at a loss for what to say.

“Who are you?” Roxas asked, looking about as confused as Axel felt.

“Uh, you must be Roxas. Nice to meet you.” The apparent stranger didn’t seem all that phased by Roxas’ confusion, he just seemed nervous.

“Zack! I told you to wait up!” Another voice, coming down the hallway. This was quickly becoming too confusing for him to follow. Appearing at the door next to the black-haired man, was a man of similar physique, face a little softer, eyes brighter and a deeper blue than the other man, Zack going by what he’d said. Spiky, vibrant blonde hair, closer to platinum than Roxas’ sandy blonde.

“Now _that_ looks like someone I could believe was your brother.” Axel stated, feeling more like an unwitting observer than anything else.

“Cloud? Who is this?” Roxas asked, gesturing to Zack.

“This is Zack Fair, I wanted to introduce him.” Cloud explained. Axel noticed Cloud’s arm, hovering behind Zack’s back. Noticed the other arm, and the hand hanging at his side, the ring on his finger. Oh god.

“Okay? Who _is_ he though?” Roxas was still just confused.

“I’m Cloud’s fiancé.” Zack finally up and said it, looking as awkward as a human being could in this situation.

Oh fuck.

“Are you _fucking_ kidding me?” Roxas asked.

“Roxas…” Cloud began but didn’t get very far.

“No, you don’t get to use that fucking tone and think I’ll quiet down, I’m not a kid!” Axel winced as Roxas got going. This wasn’t going well. “I haven’t seen you properly in six months. _Six_! And you show up on my doorstep with a fiancé?” His eyes were narrowed like slits. Axel took a step back, ready to avoid any of the angered fallout coming his way.

“Listen…” Again, not very far.

“No! I’m talking!” He warned, pointing an accusatory finger in Cloud’s direction. Zack had similarly shrunk away from Cloud’s side. “The last I heard from you, three months ago, you text me! A text! I don’t even have to look; I remember exactly what it said. ‘Doing fine, Midgar’s still a shithole, see you soon.’” Roxas recited off the top of his head, effortlessly. Axel knew that meant Roxas had probably spent days reading it over. He wasn’t angry. He was sad.

“I know, Rox, and…” Cloud wasn’t going to be getting a sentence in edgewise.

“How long? How long have you two been engaged?” Cloud paused, mouth closing. The guilt in his eyes was enough.

“Four months.” Cloud seemed to know better than to try and defend himself right now.

Roxas’ hands balled into fists, and he looked like he was one step from snapping. “You are unbelievable.”

“Can we just talk? Please?” Cloud asked, gesturing forward towards the interior of the apartment.

“You're staying out there.” Roxas muttered, stepping out into the hallway. “You can go in.” He pointed at Zack, stepping aside to let him in. Axel was feeling more and more likely to just throw himself out the window to avoid this. The door slammed shut, and he was left alone with the black-haired stranger.

“So… I’m Axel, one of Roxas’ colleagues, and a friend.” He introduced, somewhat awkwardly.

“Zack Fair, as you know.” He said with a sheepish chuckle, offering out his hand. Axel happily took it, shaking it.

“Does uh, Cloud ever get that angry? Just checking if it’s a family trait.” Axel asked, and to his relief, Zack laughed.

“Only sometimes, I’m proud to say I haven’t been on the receiving end yet.” Zack murmured. “I tried to get him to even phone Roxas and let him know, but he’s as stubborn as a mule.” Zack said, shaking his head.

“Amen to that.” Axel hummed, unable to deny that Roxas was any different.

~

“You are without a doubt, the worst brother, in the history of the world.” Roxas said. He hated the vitriol burning in his mouth, like a foaming venom that he couldn’t control.

“I know, Roxas.” Cloud had already accepted that he couldn’t really argue right now.

“Do you? I get that you don’t want to stick around, that’s fine Cloud, but you’re my _brother_ , we’re supposed to look out for each other. Did I hurt you in some way when we were kids? Well, of course I didn’t, because it isn’t just me, Aerith never hears from you, Tifa’s in town but I doubt she even knows if you’re still alive, let alone here.” Roxas muttered, unable to stop the torrent that he let loose, and frankly, he was unwilling to try and stop it anyway.

“Roxas, I’m sorry.” Cloud said, heartfelt despite Roxas’ disbelief.

“That’s the worst fucking part, Cloud. I _know_ that you're sorry, and I know you mean it, but it doesn’t change. It never does.” He said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. They’d had this conversation enough times that exhaustion was all he felt. He’d gotten his anger out, something he was definitely regretting with Axel standing right next to him, and Cloud’s new fiancé to boot. “How long have you known him? You sure he isn’t just marrying you for your pension?” Roxas couldn’t supress the teasing smile that quirked at the corners of his mouth. It just felt odd considering how angry he felt.

Cloud seemed to relax somewhat, but he still held that guilt in tight, eyes downcast for a moment before he pushed it aside, chuckling a little. “I’ve known Zack since I was a kid, before you were born. But he moved away when we were still young.” Cloud explained, hoping to placate his steadily draining rage.

“And I’m guessing you met up again when you left Twilight Town the first time?” Roxas asked. Cloud nodded an affirmative.

“By accident, the first time. We saw each other a few more times while I was travelling, and we started to see each other properly this year.” Cloud told him, tucking his hands in his pockets, looking awkward despite himself.

“And this wedding? Happening soon? Are you even having it here? Are you even staying longer than a day, here?” Roxas asked, crossing his arms over his chest to avoid balling his hands into fists again. He was already coming down from the heights of his anger, the rage just felt hollow, useless, and it didn’t warm him like it usually did, it just felt cold. A barrage of questions felt better than a barrage of shouting.

“It’ll be a while, planning and stuff, and we’re not sure. Zack’s parents would’ve liked him to get married in his hometown, I’d prefer here, so we’re gonna be visiting again after Christmas. We’ll only be here for today, then we’re on the train in the morning.” Cloud spoke as if he were giving a report, rather than having a simple talk with his own flesh and blood. It’s how he was, and it usually manifested itself in long bouts of silence, especially with him travelling.

“Alright, I’m done grilling you for information now, relax.” Roxas said, feeling some of the tension melt away from his shoulders. A soft sigh escaped, knowing his brother would be gone again by this time tomorrow.

“I’ll try and be better at keeping in touch.” Cloud promised, and even if it wasn’t all that truthful, the effort seemed to be there anyway.

“You said that last time.” It wasn’t accusatory like his earlier words, he just simply pointed it out, too tired from his near meltdown to bother putting any more effort into his words. Cloud couldn’t argue, even if he wanted to. Roxas opened the door up, stepping inside to find Axel and Zack, chatting as if they were old friends, cracking up at something Zack had said.

Axel seemed to straighten up a little when the door opened, wiping a mirthful tear from his eye, cheeks rosy red from laughing. “Hey Rox.” He said, a little sheepish in his delivery.

“Of course, you’ve managed to make friends in minutes.” Roxas grumbled, shaking his head. Axel was too charismatic for his own good, either that or Zack was a master of conversation. Either way, he really wasn’t that surprised. It might make getting to know his soon to be brother in law a touch less awkward. Hopefully.

“So, who is this?” Cloud asked, expecting an introduction. He was half tempted to ask his brother to guess, rather than do the gracious thing and just introduce him.

Both Axel and Zack looked ready to speak, but Roxas opened his mouth first. “This is my boyfriend, Axel.” Axel’s eyes looked closer to jade green dinner plates, and it took all his resolve not to laugh. Zack looked confused for a moment, but shrugged, a subtle gesture, looking between them.

“Is that right?” Cloud asked, raising an eyebrow. He seemed to be silently appraising Axel for his worth, like a jeweller with a freshly cut gem. Roxas felt like he’d be doing the same to Zack, so he couldn’t bail Axel out quite yet.

“That’s right.” Axel managed, pushing past his shock, putting on his most charming smile, sticking his hand out. “We’ve only been dating for about two months.” Axel explained, and to Roxas’ relief, Cloud shook his hand.

“I had no idea Roxas was dating.” Cloud admitted.

“I had no idea you were engaged.” Roxas muttered, snide as can be as Cloud awkwardly retracted his hand, smiling a little.

“Well,” Cloud began, ignoring Axel and Zack’s amusement at the subtle callout, “Zack and I have a hotel room for tonight, but we’d like you to come to dinner. I was initially just going to ask Roxas to let him get to know Zack, but you’re more than welcome to come too, Axel.” Cloud said, resting a hand on Zack’s shoulder as the black-haired man moved to Cloud’s side, offering his own smile, bright and optimistic. He could see why Cloud liked Zack already, he seemed nice.

“Uh, well I’m free tonight, work tomorrow but that’s fine.” Roxas said, looking to Axel, in the hopes he’d just follow his lead.

“Absolutely, I’d like to get to know you both as well.” Axel agreed. Roxas let out a silent sigh of relief. Cloud let him know that he’d text him with the restaurant they’d meet at in a few hours, they wanted to get to the hotel and put their luggage away.

After Cloud and Zack said their goodbyes, the door shut behind them, Roxas bit down on his lip, glancing over at Axel. “Before you say anything…”

“Nuh uh, I get to talk first.” Axel interrupted, though he looked more amused than anything. “I thought it was your idea to keep things casual.” Axel teased, sitting down on the couch’s arm rest.

“Cloud is only gonna be here for today, it felt less weird calling you my boyfriend than my fuck buddy, alright?” Roxas grumbled, arms over his chest again. It was a half-truth. Yes, it was absolutely, nowhere near as awkward to tell Cloud he had a boyfriend rather than someone he had a friends-with-benefits style situation with, but if he was being honest, he just wanted to see what life would be like with Axel as his boyfriend.

After last week, he’d been dwelling on Axel’s choice of words, of them being friends. It was true, they were friends, but for some reason, the word didn’t feel like it had enough depth to describe their relationship. He doubted any word really would, but for now, it’d have to do, and his misgivings would be buried deep, ignored.

“Hmm, alright. Then for tonight, we’re boyfriends.” Axel said, smiling as he stood up, reaching over to scoop Roxas’ hand up into both of his, leaning down to press a kiss to his knuckles, to the faint discolouring of bruises that could have been much worse if it wasn’t for the sap in front of him.

“You’re making me regret this already.” Roxas hummed, but despite himself, he smiled, pulling his hand away, leaning up to steal a quick kiss. He slid past before Axel could melt into the kiss, heading into the kitchen. He was on a crash course towards cupcakes, and he was going to eat the whole tray.

~

Axel did up the last button on his black shirt, before starting on his cuffs. He didn’t own cufflinks, and he didn’t think this dinner was going to be anything too fancy, they were meeting up at a nearby restaurant that Axel had been to before. It was fairly small, not too over the top, and they made damn good food. He decided against a tie, not wanting to seem like he was trying _too_ hard to impress. Cloud only intimidated him a little bit, and Zack was nice enough, so he didn’t feel too terrified.

“Axel? You ready?” Roxas’ voice shot through the half-closed door, a careful mixture of anticipation and nerves saturated in his voice. Axel had picked up his date clothes and took them back over to Roxas’ apartment, finding it easier than explaining the situation to Demyx. Roxas had angled for an earlier dinner so that he could be home before Sora got out from his exam, though from what Axel had heard from Riku, the silver haired man was going to pick Sora up from the exam and take him to dinner with himself and Kairi, so they weren’t going to be rushing through dessert.

“Yeah, that’s me done!” He called back, pushing his hair back into its usual position, tucking a strand behind his ear as Roxas shuffled into the room. Conversely, Roxas was in a white button-down shirt, sleeves rolled up, his usual black and white wristbands on display, a similar pair of black slacks to what Axel was wearing. “You know, this is your room, we could’ve just changed together.” He pointed out.

“And risk your wandering hands? I’d like to get to dinner at some point today.” Roxas replied, a coy smile on his lips as he slipped into his shoes, picking up his wallet from his bedside table.

“What can I say? You’re handsome, and you’re my boyfriend for tonight. Wouldn’t be right for me to _not_ make us late.” Axel hummed, grinning to himself. Roxas rolled his eyes a little, cheeks a flushed shade of pink. Axel tried far too hard to flatter, when it really didn’t take much, even his more innocuous words tended to get a reaction out of Roxas.

“Yeah, yeah. Keep the performance for Cloud, alright?” Roxas asked, shuffling up closer. Axel raised an eyebrow, watching as Roxas reached up, undoing the top button of his shirt. Axel would never admit it, but it was relieving, he really hated wearing his shirts fully buttoned up.

“Only one part of that is a performance.” He said, words vague, but not enough for Roxas to miss the meaning as he hooked his arm around Roxas’ waist, pulling him a little closer. “You sure you don’t want me buttoned up and on my best behaviour?” He asked, grinning a little as he caught the subtle eye roll.

“You _will_ be on your best behaviour; I already know that. But you look all stuffy with your buttons all tied, I know you hate it.” Roxas’ words were simple, could even be taken as a joke, but it was enough to fill him with warmth. He’d never told Roxas outright that he hated it, he’d just picked up on it. It was oddly reaffirming, the idea that Roxas knew such inconsequential things about him.

“Well it’s your fault if this scandalous hint of collarbone entices Zack so much, he calls off the wedding.” Axel warned, playing up how serious he was, getting the desired result. Roxas rolled his eyes, an action that seemed so _Roxas_ to him now that anyone else doing it just looked like they were copying him. A quiet snort of amusement left Roxas as he gently smacked his hip.

“You’re good big guy, not that good.” Roxas said, disentangling himself from Axel’s cosy grasp. It was for the best, Axel wasn’t so keen on letting go, and even less keen on leaving the bedroom when there was so much more they could be doing. “Come on, the sooner we get there, the sooner we can leave.” Roxas said.

“It’s like you read my mind.” Axel said, grinning to himself as he followed Roxas.

The restaurant was only a few blocks from Roxas’ apartment, but even so, they’d bundled up into coats. The skies had been darker for days now, and it was only a matter of time before snow. Axel was about as useful in the cold as an open flame underwater.

Axel pushed the door open, letting Roxas past first. If today was the day he got to see what dating Roxas properly was like, he’d take every chance he got to enjoy it. The dining room was spacious and modern, with tall windows reaching the ceiling that allowed the amber light of streetlamps outside bleed in, mixing with the faded white.

Sat at a table near the back of the room, Cloud and Zack were deep in conversation. Cloud looked more stoic, but his interest was clearly piqued. Zack was much more animated, a goofy grin on his lips as he spoke, wide hand gestures drawing smiles from Cloud. It was actually kind of sweet to see.

“Oh, Roxas, Axel.” Cloud turned to see them, waving them over. He didn’t look as awkward now, probably made a concerted effort to move past his need to apologize for now. “Right on time.” They all shared greetings, and Axel was gentlemanly enough to pull out Roxas’ chair for him. He smiled, but it was clear he wanted to laugh. He murmured his thanks and took his seat, watching as Axel moved to the seat beside him.

With everyone seated and comfortable, they all ordered. Conversation, surprisingly, came easily. Roxas’ anger from earlier had all but melted away, and what was left was a young man who missed his brother, and seemed ecstatic to tell him about what had been happening in Twilight Town, and sat with rapt attention as Cloud recounted his travels since they’d last seen each other, with some helpful input from Cloud.

It really hit home how much Roxas cared about his family, something he’d never really talked about with the blond. Roxas knew some of the story with his mother, why they moved to Twilight Town, a majority of it, in fact, but Roxas rarely brought up his own family. He only found out about Cloud the week prior, but now that he was getting to know him, he understood why Roxas missed him. He was kind, he had a unique sense of deadpan humour that he could absolutely see reflected in Roxas, and he wasn’t quite as intense as he seemed to be.

Zack, on the other hand, more than made up for Cloud’s reserved persona. He was loud and brash, without being overbearing and annoying, naturally charismatic. Axel would almost describe him as chivalrous, after learning he was part of a security detail that dealt with the protection of high-risk people. It ranged from victims of abuse, people of interest in legal matters, and even people in witness protection. Axel and Zack managed to find enough to talk about with him being a lawyer in training.

As the night wound down, and the cheque for dinner had been paid off, Zack’s treat, something that Cloud had begun to argue to no avail, discussions veered towards Zack and Cloud’s wedding. They spoke about plans, ideas for the service and where they were having it, currently split between a rural town in the mountains where Zack grew up, or in Twilight Town, where Cloud grew up. As they spoke, Axel felt Roxas’ hand. It settled in his palm; their fingers interlocked.

He’d experienced Roxas’ foot pressed up against his crotch in public before, and it didn’t even come close to the hammering he felt in his chest. He could feel his cheeks go pink at the subtle, affectionate gesture, and when they looked at each other, he smiled, swallowing down a lump in his throat. Roxas returned his smile, looking back to the conversation at hand.

“And besides, Gongaga is a great place! You just don’t like it cuz’ it sounds dumb.” Zack pointed out, nudging Cloud’s arm.

“I never said the town you grew up sounded dumb.” Cloud defended diplomatically, smiling slightly.

“You can’t even say the name!” Zack accused, grinning. Axel couldn’t help but laugh, hiding it behind his hand as they continued to discuss and faux-argue. As things calmed down, Cloud turned to look at them.

“Can I say something?” Cloud asked.

“I fear you're going to anyway.” Roxas said, thumb still rubbing circles against Axel’s hand as he took a sip from his drink.

“I know you two aren’t actually dating.” Cloud said. Axel coughed a little, in the middle of taking his own sip.

“What makes you say that?” Axel asked, forcing himself to sound casual. He doubted Cloud would fly into a rage after such an innocuous white lie, but he still wanted to avoid the possibility.

“Zack told me you introduced yourself as Roxas’ friend and colleague, not boyfriend. The fact that you’re a lawyer in training and working at Leon’s firm means that’s likely the case.” Cloud pointed out. He didn’t seem angry, only concerned. “And I know that Roxas would know better than to risk a relationship under Leon’s nose, and I don’t think you’re stupid enough to do it either Axel.”

Axel glanced aside, catching Roxas’ eyes. They were rumbled, but Cloud had only assumed they were lying about their relationship, and not the rest. Roxas’ eyes conveyed the simple message of ‘well, fuck.’ Axel shared that sentiment.

“Alright, fine, we’re not dating.” Roxas said, and Cloud nodded. “But we’re not, _not_ , together.” Roxas added quickly, before Cloud could respond.

“Oh.” Cloud said, sighing to himself.

“Can I just ask, why exactly does Leon hate the idea of people mixing work and relationships? Like, I get that it’s not the smartest thing to do, and it can get messy, but why is _he_ so against it?” Axel asked. He always assumed it was just a rule from the firm, but even Cloud knew about Leon’s particular rules.

“You can have this one.” Roxas said, reclining into his chair as Cloud sighed again, looking a touch sheepish.

“You have me to blame for that.” Cloud said, glancing to Zack who just shook his head. Looks like everyone knew the story but him.

“Care to elaborate?” He asked, finishing off his drink.

“Back when I was in high school, when Roxas was still a kid, I got to know Leon, and started working with him. He’d just broken up with a girlfriend, I uh, I don’t even remember her name actually, it was that long ago. We got into an ill-advised relationship, he was on the rebound, and I was just looking for something casual.” Cloud explained, awkwardly considering his fiancé was sat right next to him. Zack looked way more amused than anything.

“And things got messy?” Axel guessed.

“Very.” Cloud agreed, sighing softly. “We got over it, eventually, and I’d say we’re at least acquaintances now, friends at a stretch, but Leon never really got over that disaster of a relationship and the fact he had to quit working with me because of it.” Axel felt a touch guilty for thinking Leon was just a killjoy, but it didn’t stop him from thinking he was just unable to get over his own past.

“Right, well thanks for that.” Axel responded sarcastically, earning a chuckle from Cloud.

“Leon doesn’t know, I assume?” He asked.

“Only a few friends do.” Roxas confirmed.

“I’m not going to show up for one day and start bossing you around again, you’re both adults. Just be careful, alright?” Cloud asked.

“We will.” Roxas assured.

“Agreed.” Axel said, squeezing Roxas’ hand under the table. He felt the blond squeeze back, quietly relieved at the simple action.

The rest of the night went off without a hitch, and he could happily count Zack as a new potential friend, and was kindly invited to the wedding whenever it was going to happen, and wherever. He’d call Cloud a friend too, but he wasn’t quite sure yet.

All of that aside, Axel was left with a worrying revelation. That was technically his fourth date with Roxas, they’d lost some time in between them finding out they’d be working together, and their consequent foray into being friends with benefits, but that wasn’t what was important.

He _really_ enjoyed his night. He really enjoyed being Roxas’ boyfriend for the evening, even if it was found out within a few hours that it wasn’t real, it was real to him. He couldn’t keep going on denying that Roxas meant so little to him, when he was quickly discovering that Roxas meant an alarming amount more than he ever expected him to.

The found themselves outside Roxas’ apartment again. Under the same streetlight. The clouds had abated somewhat, and the stars could be seen in the gloom. Cloud and Zack’s train out of town was early, so they’d retreated back to the hotel, and Axel had walked Roxas home. From their spot in the street, they could see the window to Roxas’ apartment, alight and inviting, and Riku’s car was outside, so they knew Sora was home and had survived his exam.

“Hey, Rox? Can I ask you something?” Axel asked.

Roxas looked back towards him, stepping back under the light. Clinical white reflected in his sea blue eyes, and Axel’s throat went dry.

“Of course, what’s up?” He asked.

“When we’re done, with university and training, and everything, and you're a successful journalist, and I’m kicking ass in the courtroom?” He entertained the idea, and Roxas smiled, eyes crinkling at the sides as he suppressed a laugh.

“Yeah? What about it?” Roxas asked again.

“Think I could take you on a date? A proper one, where I don’t need to worry about Leon rearranging my facial features?” He asked, brushing his thumb across Roxas’ cheek gently, his hand cupping the shorter man’s face.

Roxas blushed, a rare-ish occurrence, but very welcome, and he smiled. It was brighter, less amused, and just pure. Happy.

“I think I’d like that, a lot.” Roxas admitted, reaching his hand up to take Axel’s, guiding it away from his face, holding it instead.

Axel’s heart still hammered away in his chest, because that agreement, even if it was what he wanted, meant Roxas felt the same. They had hope, they just had to keep going. He leaned down, meeting Roxas when he pushed up on his tip toes, sharing a kiss. Slow, with none of the usual hints or attempts to entice. He was kissing Roxas purely for the fact that he could.

One day, he’d be allowed to do that with no fear of someone finding out.

One day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We get some Cloud and Zack, a pairing I've loved ever since I played Crisis Core back on the PSP, and we get a bit more info on Roxas' family situation. We've only got a chapter or two to go before the full story comes out anyway, so look forward to that! Thanks to everyone who comments and leaves kudos, I appreciate it a lot!


	11. Stupid Words

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is going to be a much shorter chapter today, because what follows is gonna be a LOT. I hope everyone enjoys!

Axel was having the worst possible day he could. And he’d had his share of bad days.

He’d arrived at campus around about eleven, and the place was desolate. Anyone who didn’t have classes, or in his case, an exam, was avoiding the place like the plague. A majority of his work for the end of his first semester had been coursework and essays, but the one thing standing in his way, an exam.

He could write an essay, research and taking his time to eloquently put his point across, now that was his thing. Cramming his brain full of things to remember and then spewing it out onto a page under pressure? Not so much.

It had only been a few days since Axel had met Roxas’ brother and his fiancé, and things were still going fine. They were both stressed to the gills right now, so most of their time spent together was studying, or bitching about something while studying. He felt bad that they were stuck doing that all day long, but he needed to pass this semester. He wasn’t going to fail, that was the last thing he needed.

Crossing the path that cut through campus, he approached the main building where his exam was going to be taking place. Slowing to a halt, his eyes narrowed. Across the way, he spotted pink hair, tied up in a ponytail. Marluxia had been given a verbal thrashing from about every official the university had, but Marluxia came from money, so the most severe punishment he’d be getting was a stern talking to from daddy dearest.

He glanced around at that moment, and their eyes met. Axel had no doubt that his own glare was venomous, because Marluxia only smiled. Smug, self-assured, and almost too much of a temptation for him to walk over to him and give him a second punch to the jaw. Sensible Axel was at the helm today, unfortunately, so he kept walking, brushing past a group that had just left the building. Climbing the stairs two at a time, he passed various rooms until he reached one of the main lecture halls that were used for exams at this time of year.

He recognized some classmates, most looked nervous, some that he was well aware were ‘naturally gifted’ just sat, chatting away. He stopped by the door, leaning up against the wall. After fishing out his notebook, he tucked headphones in, focus returning to the paper in front of him. The exam could’ve been about anything they’d covered in the last three months, the excruciating part of exams in his opinion. At least with essays and various other coursework material you had more than two or three hours to remember in a blind panic.

Their exam invigilator arrived, right on time. Grim, and bordering on decrepit, the older man pushed open the door to the lecture hall, taking his place at the desk at the front of the room. Axel quickly turned off his phone, ignoring the spam of ‘good lucks’ that had flood his phone a few minutes earlier. He appreciated them, but he doubted loitering outside to thank them would have been a good idea. Axel left his material at the front of the lecture hall, taking what he needed up to his assigned seat.

Once the man rattled through his list of names at a snail’s pace, he announced that they could begin. Axel flipped his sheet, scanning his eyes over the material in front of him. This exam consisted of a variety of different _issues_ , snippets of information in which legal action is taking place. It was Axel’s job to discuss the issues at hand, and pick them apart, using what he’d learned this semester to analyse them. As with the rest of law school, he wasn’t just looking to get the answers right, he was looking to get the most issues tackled out of his peers, and hope he lands above the curve when it comes to grades.

This was a test of how fast he could think, and how fast he could type. His least favourite form of exam, it limited his flair and made him work overdrive, and hope for issues with simple answers.

The exam was three hours long, but blitzed past in an instant. Axel had no idea how well he’d done; he did his best but that was rarely ever a good indicator. It’d come down to how well his peers had managed to do, because he had gotten through a fair amount of the issues presented to him. Once they were told to stop writing, Axel leant back in his seat, running his hands up his face and through his hair, breathing out a quiet sigh.

The exams were automatically collected once the time was up, so he had little left to do but stand up, gather his things from the front of the hall, and leave. He was exhausted, his hand felt like it was cramping, and most of the issues he dealt with were more complex than he would’ve liked. It was better for him to deal with the complex issues, for sure, but it slowed him down more than he’d like to admit.

He left the room, shuffling his way out of the building quickly. He had no intention of sticking around longer than he needed to. He pushed out past the main doors, almost walking into someone. He stepped back, before sighing. Larxene stood in front of him, arms crossed over her chest as she glared up at him.

“Oh great.” Axel sighed, resting one hand on his hip. “Can I help you?”

“Oh, don’t act so high and mighty now.” Larxene drawled, rolling her eyes. Electric blue and nauseating.

“I’m busy, so unless you actually have something to say, get out of my way.” He said, finality in his tone. He had even less interest in sticking around to talk with Larxene than he did just being there in general.

“We were your friends Axel, and you just drop us with nothing said. That’s a shitty thing to do.” Larxene spat, fixing him with a glare that Axel had seen one too many times. She didn’t _actually_ care, she just had one less person to be a cruel bitch to.

“That’s not totally true. I gave a Marluxia a nice farewell gift. Bruises suit that, oh so perfect face, don’t you agree?” He asked, smirking a little as her eyes narrowed.

“You get a bunch of new friends and you suddenly think you're hot shit? You're pathetic.” Larxene scoffed.

“Whatever you say, cockroach.” Axel hummed, stepping past her. She whirled around, eyes glaring daggers through him.

“We were there for you when no one else was, when Saix left you and you wanted to mope around like the sad prick you really are, don’t think you’ll get any better than that.” She seethed. Axel clenched his fist, but resisted the urge to swing. He turned, facing her.

“ _There_ for me? When I wanted to drink myself into a coma, you two didn’t try and talk me down, try and help me like friends would, you asked if I wanted a refill. You’re a piece of shit Larxene, and if I never see you or that pink cunt ever again, I’ll live a long and happy life.” He could see her fuming, ready to launch into a tirade, but he was done. He’d said his piece, and he didn’t care what she had to respond with. He turned on his heel, and walked away.

He could hear her yelling after him, but he just kept walking.

Once he’d past the edge of campus, he turned his phone on. He was met with a text from Roxas, a few minutes ago, asking him how it went, and asking if he’d be up for coming to visit. The simple message was split over four separate messages, a clear sign that Roxas was feeling frantic. He was lucky enough not to have exams this semester, but that meant he had two projects and an essay to hand in soon, and he’d got most of it finished off, but deadlines loomed.

He shot over a quick response saying he’d come over. He was stressed, he was emotional, and he was exhausted, but so was Roxas, and he wanted to help how he could.

The path to Roxas’ from campus was one he’d taken many times at this point, and he walked it quickly, hands tucked into his pockets. Neither of them lived too far from the university, so he reached the apartment in record time. The only issue being, he was still on quite a short tether, still feeling the mounting stress and anger from earlier.

He had a horrible feeling in his gut, likely a side effect of having to deal with Larxene, and the rest of his day. He knocked on the door to Roxas’ apartment, waiting a few moments before Roxas arrived at the door, pen tucked behind his ear, textbook in hand.

“Hey! How’d it go?” Roxas asked, straight into it as he welcomed Axel inside. He chuckled a little, thanking him as he walked inside.

“I won’t know until well past Christmas, but I think it went okay.” Axel said, sitting down on the back of the couch, looking Roxas over. “How’s your coursework coming?” Axel asked.

“Ugh.” Roxas replied, rubbing his forehead. “I hate it, but I’m glad you’re at least a little confident.” Roxas said, grinning a little as he moved to give him a quick kiss. Axel returned it, knowing Riku had an exam today too. Sora would no doubt be waiting outside the hall on bated breath.

“Trying to be.” Axel agreed, sighing softly.

“You alright?” Roxas asked, reaching down to rub at his bicep gently. Axel nodded, but he knew he wasn’t. The rage he was feeling had subsided a touch, but all that was left was a hollow flame in his gut.

“I saw Marluxia, and Larxene. Larxene was just being a prick, as usual.” He said. He didn’t let himself sigh again. He was supposed to be here for Roxas, not wallowing himself.

“Did anything happen?” Roxas frowned a little, clearly wanting to dig a little deeper.

“She spoke for a while, a load of shit as usual. It’s fine.” Axel murmured.

“You know you can talk to me.” Roxas assured.

“I know.” Axel said.

“You sure?” Roxas asked, and he wasn’t sure if it was his own irritable mood, or Roxas had done it intentionally, but it sounded more confrontational.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Axel asked.

“Nothing, I just want you to know that I’m here for you.” Roxas said, sounding more defensive.

“Yeah, well I _know_ that, but there’s nothing to talk about.” Axel reiterated, letting out his own irritations.

“Alright, alright, jeez. I’m just trying to help.” Roxas muttered, taking a step back. “I know you’re stressed, but bottling things up doesn’t help.” Axel had expected him to just drop it, usually he would.

“ _I’m_ bottling things up? That’s kinda rich.” Axel said. It was petty, and he hated how easily it came out of his mouth. He knew Roxas was right.

“Excuse me? I don’t bottle things up.” Roxas said, eyes narrowing a touch.

“Oh please.” Axel scoffed, shaking his head. “I don’t know what it is, maybe the perfect suburban life, with your mum checking in every few days, or maybe Cloud just up and leaving, but it’s your thing, you push everything aside until it just erupts in your face.” Axel had stood during his little speech, but as soon as he was done talking, he felt sick. What he’d said wasn’t at all what he was feeling, it was the result of stress, anger and everything else, all being unfairly directed at Roxas.

The worst part, he could see the look in Roxas’ eyes, the hurt.

“What the fuck is the matter with you?” Roxas asked, glaring up at him. He deserved the glare, deserved a hell of a lot more in fact.

“I…” He didn’t really get a chance to finish, but it wasn’t like he had any clue what he was going to say anyway.

“Perfect suburban life? You don’t know the first damn thing about what it was like for me growing up.” Roxas said, anger building in his voice. Axel wanted to avoid his gaze, wanted to hide from that anger. But he knew his own experiences weren’t easy, and that sparked something in him.

“Was it easier than having a mother who prioritised drugs over you for a few years?” Axel asked, bitterness bleeding through. He regretted it the moment he said it, because he knew how bad it was. Knew how bad she was at the time. Guilt gnawed away at his gut as Roxas just shook his head.

“You really think that’s what this is? A pissing contest about who’s sadder? Well fine, my parents died in a car crash when I was eight. How do I rank on your scale?” Roxas asked, tone filled with an anger he’d never heard before.

The words caused Axel to stop, staring at Roxas. It was as if time slowed around them, and the sick feeling in his stomach intensified twofold. He stared at Roxas, and for one horrible second, he wanted to ask if that was some sick joke, but he could see it in Roxas’ eyes.

“But… Your phone?” Axel asked.

“Sora’s mum. _My_ mum.” Roxas corrected himself, looking guilty. His anger had sapped too, but it was still there, a dangerous edge to his voice. “She fostered me after what happened and adopted me later. Cloud was old enough to leave by then, and me and Sora were best friends anyway, so we just prefer to keep it that way.” Roxas muttered, staring hard at Axel.

Everything started making a bit more sense now. Why Roxas never really mentioned his parents, why Cloud never seemed eager to stick around Twilight Town. He hated that this was how he found out.

“Roxas, I…” Axel started.

“Don’t. Just get out.” Roxas spoke, icily. Axel quietened down for a moment, then nodded.

“That’s fair.” Axel said quietly, sighing as he stood. He shuffled over to the door, feeling Roxas behind him. He wanted to stop, throw himself to his knees and beg for forgiveness, but he couldn’t. Not out of pride, but simply because he knew he had fucked up. He had to accept that, and let the anger cool off. If he could fight for Roxas’ forgiveness, he would, but right now he knew it wouldn’t be right.

Roxas pulled the door open, waiting for him to step out into the hall. “I won’t let this affect things at work, don’t assume I’m going to have my uncle fire you just because of this.” Roxas said. That was yet another thing that made more sense, he assumed Leon was Sora’s uncle, and that made him Roxas’ uncle.

“I wouldn’t think that.” Axel said quietly, swallowing down the lump in his throat. “I’m sorry Roxas.” Axel said quietly.

For a moment, he saw that look in Roxas’ eyes. It was guilt, as if he was equally at fault here. He wanted to tell him he wasn’t, that this was all his own stupidity, but he didn’t get the chance.

“Me too.” Without another word, Roxas slammed the door shut.

Axel stood silently for a few moments, gazing at the door. He didn’t cry, just yet. He breathed out a shaky sigh, sniffled a little, and turned to walk down the hall. He could feel tears prickling at the corners of his eyes, but they wouldn’t fall. His tattoos were good for something at least.

He jabbed his finger against the elevator button, waiting patiently for it to arrive, his face reflected in the metal outer doors. It wasn’t the first time his stupid mouth had ruined something good, but unlike all the other times, he refused to lose it. He’d come to realize that Roxas meant more to him than anyone he’d ever met before, a realization that scared him to hell and back.

But he refused to give up without a fight. He’d give him time, he needed his own, to process what he’d learned, and work on how he was going to convince Roxas to ever forgive him for being such an idiot. But he would. He’d come to realize that he belonged with Roxas, no matter how cantankerous the younger blond could be, they belonged together.

And he refused to let his dumb mistakes ruin that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The sad truth is finally out in the open! I'll likely update the tags just in case, because its a pretty heavy topic to have in a fic, but that aside, I hope everyone is enjoying the fic and where we go from here!


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